Monrovia,
August 28, 2014: The United Nations Mission in Liberia
(UNMIL) has donated a consignment of printing equipment and accessories to the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs valued at over thirty-eight thousand United States dollars
(US$38,000.00).
The two sets of printing equipment with accessories were
presented at a ceremony at the Foreign Ministry on Capitol Hill attended by
Foreign Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan and other senior officials of the
Ministry. Ms. Karin Landgren, Special
Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations led an array of UNMIL
officials to make the donation.
A Foreign Ministry release quotes Ms. Landgren as saying
that the printing equipment and accessories will be used for the printing of
legislations. She said the donation was part of UNMIL’s strong commitment in
being a part and parcel of securing Liberia’s future peace and security which
is reliance on the rule of law.
She recalled UNMIL’s provision of support for the
refurbishment of the Treaty Room back in 2008 which she said demonstrates the
UN Mission’s furtherance of strengthening Liberia’s capacity of key rule of law
institutions to perform their statutory mandates.
“And the goal is to allow the Government to print and
publish critical legislations without having to outsource this function which
will allow you to avoid further delays and errors in the legislations. I want
to emphasize the important role of the Print and Publication Division of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this process which is why we are handling over
the printers through this Division”
She then thanked Minister Ngafuan for the commitment of
the Ministry in promoting reforms in the lawmaking process which she said
involves a large number of actors. She concluded by committing the continuous strong
support of UNMIL to reforms and activities that will help the rule of law in
Liberia.
Foreign Minister Ngafuan who thanked the UN Mission for
the gesture emphasized that the Liberian government cannot afford to press the
pause button of the country because of the raging Ebola virus.
“We are very happy
about this donation because we
have been facing some challenges, especially with the printing of critical
instruments……like the printing of critical legislations. As a result, printing
of critical legislations, proclamations and gazettes have been outsourced. So,
it has not just been an issue of errors but we've heard issues of the integrity
of some of those documents”, he said.
He disclosed that the Ministry has begun working with
other partners in the chain including the National Legislature and the offices
of the Legal Advisor to the President and the Minister of State for
Presidential Affairs.
“And so we want to announce here that we now have the
capacity to print and will not countenance people trying to by-pass our
procedures. We will make it as watertight as possible, coming from the House,
from the Senate and coming through the chain to us. So thank you, because this
enhances the rule of law”, Minister Ngafuan added.
Earlier, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal Affairs, Cllr.
Boakai N. Kanneh who led the negotiation process since about a year ago committed
that the donated equipment and accessories will be used for the intended
purpose.
The Deputy Minister then added that the equipment’s
donation marks a milestone in the works of the Ministry, especially in terms of
printing need.
Signed:
Hon. Horatio Bobby Willie
Assistant Minister/Public Affairs