-As joins celebrations of UN 74th Anniversary
Monrovia, Liberia: President Dr. George Manneh Weah, has saluted the United Nations on the occasion its 74th Anniversary celebration, praising the world body for its promotion of democracy, good governance, human rights and peace.
On behalf of the government and people of Liberia, President Weah expressed warmest gratitude to the UN and reaffirmed the Liberian Government’s commitment to continue playing its role in sustaining peace and human rights in Liberia and around the globe, according to an Executive Mansion press release.
Speaking on Wednesday, October 24, 2019 at programs marking the 74th Anniversary of the United Nations, the President said the UN, since its establishment in 1945, has been striving to achieve its goals of preventing conflict through peaceful means and bettering mankind’s living standards.
President Weah said Liberia is a direct beneficiary of UN’s interventions and assistance and that the country is immensely grateful and will continue to rely on its strong support towards achieving sustainable development through Government’s Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development.
“My Administration is placing particular emphasis on the agriculture, education, and health sectors in the coming months, and will be seeking even closer collaboration from your relevant agencies in accelerating their growth and development,” the Liberian Leader said.
He called on Liberians to unite their efforts in maintaining peace to enable the government promote and achieve its developmental goals and objectives, noting it is through peace that there would be growth, development and prosperity.
President Weah has, however, recounted the extremely tough situations the UN has undergone to realize its prime objective of preventing conflicts around the world in favor of peace and prosperity.
“When the United Nations was established in 1945, after the end of the Second World War, its Charter stated that one of its main purposes was to prevent succeeding generations from the scourge of war,” the Liberian Leader recounted. “Although this lofty goal has not been perfectly attained, there is no doubt that the United Nations has indeed succeeded in preventing more global wars, by providing a neutral forum where most nations can resolve their differences through peaceful means”.
President Weah stressed that the significant gains the UN has made through its many organs in preventing wars through peaceful means has positively impacted nations and human capacity development throughout the world.
He noted further that through the important work of its various agencies, the UN remained true to the noble ideals of its Charter, as it has worked over the years to maintain international peace and security, promote human rights, gender equality, social justice, and the economic and social advancement of the people of the world.”
But the President added: “As we near the end of almost three quarters of a century of the existence of the United Nations, we must acknowledge that the world today is experiencing heightened tensions from regional conflicts and increasing uncertainty in international security”.
Almost three quarters of a century of the existence of the UN, the President said, the world was experiencing heightened tensions from regional conflicts and increasing uncertainty in international security and global economy by the introduction of trade protectionism and tariff wars between some of the major economies.
These unfolding developments, in the words of President Weah, threaten free trade and negatively impact many countries, especially those in the developing world.
He maintained that the mass migrations of people from poor countries fleeing oppression, or seeking better economic opportunities, suggest that significant imbalances in income equality and social justice continue to remain a global challenged.
He said however that there is reason for hope, and not despair.
“As I said during my address to the United Nations General Assembly last month, I continue to have faith and confidence in the United Nations as the best universal institution to guide the nations of the world in peaceful and harmonious interactions,” he assured the UN family. “I have confident in the ability of the United Nations to maintain international peace and security, foster friendly relations among nations, and promote social progress, better living standards, and human rights”.
Formal Ceremony to commemorate this year’s UN Day celebrations were held at One UN House or the Pan African Plaza. The 2019 United Nations Day was observed globally under the theme: “Our Planet”.