Special Statement by UN RC Christine N. Umutoni United Nations Resident Coordinator in Liberia At the Occasion of the Symposium/Dialogue on “Reinforcing the Role of University Students and Youth Leaders in Fostering National Reconciliation Right

Protocol:

• Members of the Diplomatic Corps
• ECOWAS Resident Representative
• President of the University of Liberia 
• Government Ministers, and Officials
• Commissioners of the Election Commission, and Independent National Human Rights
• Members of the press
• National Students Union Council, and Political Party Youth Leaders
• Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentle Men

• Immense thanks and appreciation to our organising partners of this three-day peace dialogue, and in particular, to the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue who has worked closely with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Liberia Peacebuilding Office (PBO), Independent National Human Rights Commission (INHCR), through the Ministries of Internal Affairs, and Justice on the Peace Dividends Project funded by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund.  

• As part of the President`s call in the December 2020 National Reconciliation Conference, the Peace Dialogue with University Student Leaders, Political Party Youth Leaders, and media outlets is in part complementing the peace initiative efforts to solidify national and international support for peacebuilding and national reconciliation in Liberia.

• The staunch commitment to the process of reconciliation, particularly at this crucial moment in time, ahead of the 2023 elections, will assuredly contribute to sustainable unity and inclusive peace.

• In conflict- and violence-affected contexts, young people are commonly perceived as either perpetrators or victims of violence with young men usually assumed to be the primary perpetrators and young women the primary victims, especially of sexual and gender-based violence. Yet the lived realities of young people in these contexts are much more complex than these stereotypes suggest.

• Over the last two decades, Liberia has witnessed increasing evidence that demonstrates that young people are largely peaceful agents and assets. As an example, the establishment of Mano River Union Youth Parliament in August 2003, as a Sub-regional network of young peace builders have played significant civic and advocacy roles in peace sustenance, with policy makers that ensure youth inclusion in peacebuilding and democracy.

• However, there is significant evidence that the most challenging gap that remains concerns the participation of young people in peace processes and post-conflict political transactions, promoting and strengthening their civic competence and intellectual power for women and youth as part of local peacebuilding process, even as empirical evidence reveals a strong inclusion of women and youth in peace processes and democracy are more sustainable and stable peace.

• In the context of reinforcing the role of University Students and Leaders in fostering national reconciliation, and right based consciousness in upholding the rule of Law, this pledging commitment should serve the basis to sustain peace and tranquillity and help to minimalize the risk of violent conflict amongst young people by consolidating local, regional and national reconciliation processes and frameworks that can deliver peace dividends in Liberia.

• Taking local and national ownership is key to the process of sustaining peace and tranquillity in Liberia. There is an ongoing effort through the UN Peacebuilding Fund to support the Liberia Peacebuilding Office (PBO) to develop a national policy on reconciliation. The national policy will seek to identify and discuss critical challenges, lessons learned, and advance ideas and themes for a coherent policy on national reconciliation in Liberia.
• As the October elections are underway, more efforts should be geared towards increasing capacity of youth-led and youth-focused organizations to engage in peacebuilding processes; Increase capacity of youth peacebuilding agencies, at national and sub-national level to engage youth in elections processes and built linkages that create cohesive actions on peace and peaceful elections; increase affirmative actions and participation of youth and women in elections and peacebuilding processes at all levels; Train and empowered more young people on election monitoring, report conflict prone issues and drive affirmative actions on conflict mitigations and safeguarding Liberia democracy.

• On behalf of the United Nations System in Liberia, I commend the Liberian Government and the donor community for the collective progress and continued supports through relevant actors in consolidating peace dividends in Liberia.

Thank you!