The heads of United Nations Missions in West Africa held their 31st High-level Meeting in Monrovia on Friday, calling for speedy end to the electoral dispute but noted that “compliance with the rule of law and due process is essential for strengthening Liberia’s nascent democracy.”
In a joint communique, they “expressed hope that the electoral process would be concluded expeditiously, stressing that legal challenges should be legitimate and in good faith.”
The UN envoys also “noted the importance of complying with the constitutionally-mandated date for the inauguration of the new government in January 2018.”
Those attending the Monrovia meeting are the Special Representatives of the UN Secretary-General and Heads of UN missions in Liberia (UNMIL), Farid Zarif; MINUSMA in Mali, Mahamat Saleh Annadif; the UN Special Representative in West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mohamed Ibn Chambas and the UN Resident Coordinator for Côte d’Ivoire, Babacar Cissé.
The Heads of missions lauded the peaceful nature of the 10 October elections in Liberia, emphasizing that the will of the Liberian people must be respected.
In this connection, they underscored the need for all parties and stakeholders to exercise restraint, uphold the rule of law, and conduct all activities with civility and in a non-violent manner, including in their public discourse, the joint communique said.
The Heads of missions further underlined that peaceful, free, fair and transparent elections are a prerequisite for peace consolidation and sustainable development in Liberia.
They made it clear that the destiny of Liberia remains the responsibility of all Liberians, while emphasizing that the international community needs to continue assisting Liberia’s development beyond the conclusion of the electoral process and UNMIL’s withdrawal.
The Heads of missions expressed the hope that upcoming elections in West Africa will consolidate democratic progress and bring about an increase in women’s participation in politics.
According to their joint communique, the objective of the meeting of the heads of UN missions in West Africa and the Sahel was to provide insights and exchange views on peace and security dynamics in the areas of operation of the respective missions and in the West African region as a whole.
It said the Monrovia meeting was also intended to strengthen coordination in order to address common challenges in such areas as elections, transnational organized crime, violent extremism and terrorism, security sector and constitutional reform processes, as well as democratic transitions.
Discussions at the meeting also focused on current developments in Togo, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali and other countries in the sub-region.