MORE MUST BE DONE TO CONSOLIDATE PEACE IN SIERRA LEONE, SAYS BAN

Greater efforts are needed by all Sierra Leoneans to build on the momentum generated by the signing of a key peace pact that led to the cessation of political violence earlier this year, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wrote in a new report released today.

Measures taken to implement the 2 April communiqué signed by the governing All People's Congress (APC) and the opposition Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) "have enabled the strengthening of the peace consolidation process in Sierra Leone," Mr. Ban said.

It has also set up a framework for bi-party consensus on youth issues, illicit drug trafficking and bolstering the West African nation's democratic institutions, he added in his latest report on the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL).

But the Secretary-General underscored the need for stepped-up efforts by all sides to ensure that the current momentum is sustained, particularly the continued support of international development partners as well as dealing with political intolerance and violence ahead of the 2012 elections.

High youth employment and drug trafficking continue to impede the consolidation of peace, he said. Also hurting Sierra Leone is the global economic downturn, which has decreased foreign aid, external investments and overseas remittances.

"Especially worrying," Mr. Ban emphasized, "is the fact that Sierra Leone continues to register extremely high infant and maternal mortality and poverty levels, which call for increased engagement by the international community to help reverse those negative trends."

Concluding the process of constitutional reform is "long overdue," he said, noting that UNIPSIL stands ready to provide technical support.

Given the assistance being provided by UNIPSIL to help Sierra Leone progress on the road to peace, the Secretary-General called for a one year extension of its mandate.

Last August, the Security Council authorized the creation of UNIPSIL to replace the UN political office in the country, known as UNIOSIL, and gave it an initial mandate of 12 months.

UNIPSIL, which works closely with the UN Peacebuilding Commission, is tasked with providing political support to national and local efforts for identifying and resolving tensions and threats of potential conflict. It also monitors and promotes human rights, democratic institutions and the rule of law, including efforts to counter transnational organized crime and drug trafficking.

Sierra Leone is one of the first two countries, along with Burundi, to receive support from the Commission, which was established in 2005 to help post-conflict countries determine the priority areas for rebuilding out of the vast array of challenges they face.
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UN ENVOY PRAISES POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IN SIERRA LEONE

UN ENVOY PRAISES POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IN SIERRA LEONE
New York, Jun 8 2009 3:00PM
A senior United Nations official today said that Sierra Leone's political leadership deserves praise for signing an agreement that brought an end to the "spiral of violence" in the West African nation.

Michael von der Schulenburg, the Secretary-General's Executive Representative for the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL), <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2009/sc9673.doc.htm">told the Security Council that the country's politicians "deserve the highest praise for how they have handled the recent outbreak of political violence in their country when they came together and signed and committed to the Joint Communiqué."

The governing All People's Congress (APC) and the opposition Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) signed that agreement on 2 April, ending violence between the two parties that erupted in early March. Sierra Leone's 11-year civil war ended in 2002.

The Joint Communiqué also "recognizes the joint responsibility that both the governing and the opposition parties have in building a democratic and prosperous Sierra Leone," Mr. von der Schulenburg told the 15-member Council.

He also noted that a joint strategy called the "UN Family's Joint Vision for Sierra Leone" brings together UNIPSIL and all 17 UN development and humanitarian agencies, programmes and funds that operate in Sierra Leone.

The envoy expressed hope that the Council will support that the effort, which runs through 2012 requires a budget of $350 million.

In his most recent <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2009/267">report on UNIPSIL, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wrote that Sierra Leone's recent violence, had it devolved into a full-blown conflict, could have heightened regional divisions and increased identification of political parties with ethnic loyalties.

The violence "served as a wake-up call for the Government and people of Sierra Leone on the critical challenges that require urgent and continued attention," the report noted.

"Against this backdrop, the determined manner with which Sierra Leone overcame its recent political crisis was all the more laudable," Mr. Ban wrote, commending the nation's resolve to overcome differences rather than relenting to attacks.

Further, he said that its recent actions have set an example for other countries in the sub-region experiencing similar upheavals.

Last August, the Security Council authorized the creation of UNIPSIL to replace the UN political office in the country, known as UNIOSIL, in a unanimously adopted resolution, which also gave the new structure an initial mandate of 12 months.

UNIPSIL, which works closely with the UN Peacebuilding Commission, is tasked with providing political support to national and local efforts for identifying and resolving tensions and threats of potential conflict, whatever the source. It also monitors and promotes human rights, democratic institutions and the rule of law, including efforts to counter transnational organized crime and drug trafficking.

Sierra Leone, whose brutal 11-year civil war ended in 2002, is one of the first two countries, along with Burundi, to receive support from the Commission, established in 2005 to help post-conflict countries determine the priority areas for rebuilding out of the vast array of challenges they face.
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SIERRA LEONE: RECENT VIOLENCE UNDERSCORES NEED FOR INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT – BAN

SIERRA LEONE: RECENT VIOLENCE UNDERSCORES NEED FOR INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT – BAN
New York, May 29 2009 3:00PM
A recent eruption of political violence in Sierra Leone reinforces the need for the international community's continued support for the West African nation's efforts to rebuild following a brutal 11-year civil war, according to a new <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2009/267">report by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

President Ernest Bai Koroma and the top leaders of both the governing and main opposition parties were able to prevent a new round of conflict after clashes broke out, underlining the "fragile nature of the nascent democratic process in the country," Mr. Ban wrote.

The governing All People's Congress (APC) and the opposition Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) signed a joint communiqué on 2 April, which he characterized in his most recent report on the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL) as a "major event."

The disturbances, had they devolved into a full-blown conflict, could have heightened regional divisions and increased identification of political parties with ethnic loyalties, he said.

The violence "served as a wake-up call for the Government and people of Sierra Leone on the critical challenges that require urgent and continued attention," the report noted.

"Against this backdrop, the determined manner with which Sierra Leone overcame its recent political crisis was all the more laudable," the Secretary-General said, commending the nation's resolve to overcome differences rather than relenting to attacks.

Further, Mr. Ban wrote, its recent actions have set an example for other countries in the sub-region experiencing similar upheavals.

He expressed concern that the current global financial crisis could dampen international assistance to Sierra Leone in the coming years, calling on nations to continue their support for the country's peacebuilding endeavours.

Last August, the Security Council authorized the creation of UNIPSIL to replace the UN political office in the country, known as UNIOSIL, in a unanimously adopted resolution, which also gave the new structure an initial mandate of 12 months.

UNIPSIL, which works closely with the UN Peacebuilding Commission, is tasked with providing political support to national and local efforts for identifying and resolving tensions and threats of potential conflict, whatever the source. It also monitors and promotes human rights, democratic institutions and the rule of law, including efforts to counter transnational organized crime and drug trafficking.

Sierra Leone is one of the first two countries, along with Burundi, to receive support from the Commission, which was established in 2005 to help post-conflict countries determine the priority areas for rebuilding out of the vast array of challenges they face.
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