The Dialogue was convened by the Government of Liberia to improve aid transparency, effectiveness and decision making. This joint Government of Liberia and United Nations Dialogue is the first since the signature of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) in August 2019. This event will serve to facilitate and initiate high-level dialogues around policy and programmes progress of the UNSDCF and launch the Joint Government of Liberia/United Nations Steering Committee. The Dialogue has in attendance Government Ministers, heads of Government entities, led by Augustus J. Flomo, Deputy Minister for Economic Management, Ministry of Finance & Development Planning and representatives from 18 UN agencies, led by the UN Resident Coordinator, Niels Scott.   The GOL/UN Dialogue is happening at an opportune moment when the Government has recalibrated the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD) to address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, to inform the alignment of the United Nation’s Cooperation Framework and the Liberian Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD). This Dialogue relaunches the continued engagement between the UN and the Government of Liberia and will be followed by further discussions on areas of mutual importance   The Government of Liberia and the UN in Liberia are reviewing the PAPD and Development priorities which guides the UN priorities and how to better coordinate development work, strengthen partnerships with development actors. The Dialogue will also include reflections on the broad achievements to date by the UN in Liberia and the priorities; the Covid-19 pandemic necessitated reprogramming of development resources to respond to the pandemic in 2020 and recently 2021.   The UN is resolved to continue strengthening collaboration with the Government on sustainable development, building on agreed UN/GOL coordination mechanisms for dialogue, development cooperation and mutual accountability for the benefit of the people of Liberia. The Government of Liberia express gratitude to the UN family in Liberia for their continued support to the development agenda and encourage strong collaboration for future designs of projects and implementation.

Margibi, Liberia, 05 March 2021 - Liberia received 96,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses shipped via the COVAX initiative, a partnership between CEPI, Gavi, UNICEF and WHO. The arrival of the vaccines in Liberia is part of the historic step towards achieving the goal of equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines globally, in what will be the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history. This delivery is part of a first wave of shipments that will continue to different countries in the coming days and weeks. The arrival of the 96,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), marks the first batch of vaccine shipped to Liberia by the COVAX initiative as part of its unprecedented efforts to deliver at least 2 billion doses of the vaccine globally by the end of 2021. Ahead of the arrival of the vaccines, Liberia received 97,000 syringes and 600 safety boxes that will be used for the administration and disposal of immunization waste. The syringes are vital as the vaccine itself and it is critical to have adequate supply of syringes in Liberia ahead of the arrival of the vaccine.  "Today we are making history in Liberia with the arrival of the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine into the country. We are proud to be part of COVAX global cooperation which demonstrates the best of humanity. Vaccines save lives and we are all confident that this important milestone will allow Liberia to get back to business and continue our efforts to build back the economy of Liberia,” Honorable Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah, Health Minister of the Republic of Liberia  “The arrival of the first vaccines represents an important moment for Liberia as it gives the people a tool to halt a global disease that has already impacted the lives and livelihoods of so many. I’m very proud of Liberia team who made this important step a reality, “Jonna Jeurlink, Senior Country Manager at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Niels Scott, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Liberia said, “the United Nations is proud to support the Government in saving lives and ensuring an equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX, the largest and most varied portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines globally.” Dr. Peter Clement, WHO Representative in Liberia said “the delivery of vaccines to Liberia today is a historic moment and reaffirms WHO’s commitment to ensure access to life saving vaccines for eligible people in Liberia. It also signifies the strong partnership and collaboration to control COVID-19 in Liberia and globally. Let us continue with the COVID-19 preventive measures because these vaccines will not be used for mass vaccination but selected category of people.” "We are very proud to support the Government of Liberia in the fight against COVID-19. The arrival of vaccines in the country is an essential milestone for strengthening and protecting health workers and staff working on the pandemic's frontline. We will continue to play our role as a key delivery partner and provide the technical support to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are safely delivered for the launch of the immunization campaign,” said Laila O. Gad, UNICEF Representative in Liberia. COVAX is co-led by GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), working in partnership with UNICEF as well as the World Bank, civil society organizations, manufacturers, and others. The United States, Team Europe (the European Union and the European Union Member States), the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada are among the main donors to the COVAX Facility. For several months, COVAX partners have been supporting governments and partners in readiness efforts, in preparation for this moment. This includes assisting with the development of national vaccination plans, support for cold chain infrastructure, as well as stockpiling of syringes and safety boxes for their disposal, masks, gloves and other equipment to ensure that there is enough equipment for health workers to start vaccinating priority groups as soon as possible. In order to foster the early introduction of COVID-19 vaccine in Liberia, the country has identified its 20% priority population or target group in accordance with the guidance. The priority group includes health care workers, elderly people (60+), people with co-morbidities, refugees and other essential workers who cannot social distance due to the work they performed.

We have invested heavily and worked strenuously alongside Liberians from all political parties and all walks of life to promote peace, security, and democratic institutions in this country. We deplore the incidence of violence in Grand Cape Mount yesterday, including the burning of cars and looting and burning of a house, and are certain that the vast majority of Liberians would wish to disassociate themselves from such acts. In this regard, we fully support the statement this morning by President George Manneh Weah condemning the violence and calling for political partisans and their leaders to conduct themselves peacefully. There must be a full investigation of incidences of violence, including yesterday’s, and all those found responsible must be held accountable. Law enforcement agencies must be granted sufficient resources to carry out their work, including the provision of security to political candidates and polling sites. We recall commitments stakeholders made in the Code of Conduct to ensure a peaceful and transparent electoral process. We call on all parties to renounce the use of provocative language and dissemination of misinformation and falsehoods that only promote political tensions, divisiveness, and violence and risk the progress Liberia has continuously demonstrated since 2005. We further call on political leaders and electoral candidates to pursue any disputes through peaceful means and dialogue, in accordance with the law. International partners are following closely Liberia’s adherence to the rule of law and its advancement of peace and democracy. We look forward to witnessing the voting process on December 8, and support Liberian civil society observation and monitoring initiatives as well. We remain confident in the strong commitment of the Liberian people to peace, stability, and development and continue dedicating our support to advance these essential goals. Press Release Here

On 23 October 2020, UNOPS delivered 15 units of ambulances donated by the World Bank to the Ministry of Health to equip the Ministry of Health with the needed logistics to respond to the outbreak of COVID-19 in a country. The first case of COVID-19 in Liberia was reported on March 16 2020 and the Ministry of Health, Government of Liberia obtained funds from the World Bank to support Liberia’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Project. The Ministry of Health requested UNOPS to handle the procurement and delivery of the 15 ambulances. The ambulances have contributed to the government’s efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its recovery by ensuring continuous health services amidst the pandemic. It will also improve access to health and socio-economic support for vulnerable groups, including women and children. In a brief statement, Liberia’s Minister of Health, Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah, lauded the World Bank for continuously contributing to the country’s health sector: “On behalf of the President of the Republic of Liberia, and the Ministry of Health and the IMS and all those who have been participating in the Covid-19. I want to say thanks for this donation. We will ensure that these ambulances will be used for their intended purpose which is to service our people. So we accept, and we want to thank UNOPS for the delivery and even taking up the responsibility to procure these ambulances under the World Bank Project. We also want to thank the World Bank and our local team for all the work that they do together to collaborate and coordinate to make sure that these ambulances reach.” MOH Receives 15 Ambulances from World Bank To Fight COVID -19   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Notes to the editors: Press contact details: UNOPS-GMCO 65 A, Tafawa Balewa Street North Ridge, Accra GA 016-6456 Tel: +233 (0) 303968660 P.O. Box CT 3782 Email: ghoh.admin@unops.org Delivery of 15 Toyota Hardtop Ambulance Units Handover of 15 Ambulance Units to Ministry of Health, Government of Liberia   About UNOPS UNOPS mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development. We help the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, and deliver sustainable infrastructure and procurement in an efficient way. Read more: www.unops.org