05 February 2004
Liberia Urgently Needs International Aid, Natsios Says
USAID administrator's February 5 remarks to New York donors' conference
Calling on the international community to help rebuild Liberia, Andrew Natsios, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), said February 5 that solidifying peace in the country is dependent on the successful disarmament, demobilization, and rehabilitation of factional fighters.
Addressing an international donors conference on Liberia held at the United Nations in New York, Natsios said that if the effort fails, "Liberia will remain an unstable, insecure state where people's lives will be constantly at risk and development hindered."
Combatants are diverse and cannot be stereotyped as a homogeneous group, and the particular needs of grown and young men, women, and children who have participated in the fighting all must be addressed, he said.
"Liberia is key to the future stability of West Africa," Natsios said. "For the well-being of Liberians and West Africans as a whole, the international community should make the difference it is capable of making by providing funding, support, and leadership to help the Liberians be successful" in meeting their desire for peace, national unity, reconciliation, and economic growth.
The United States is co-hosting the two-day International Reconstruction Conference on Liberia. The international community is being asked to contribute $487.7 million over two years to help rebuild the country.
Following is the transcript of Natsios's remarks:
(begin transcript)
Andrew S. Natsios
Administrator
United States Agency for International Development
Opening Statement
International Reconstruction Conference on Liberia
February 5, 2004
United Nations, New York
The Honorable Mark Malloch Brown, Mats Karlsson, Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is an honor and a privilege to be here with you. The United States Government is pleased to co-host with the United Nations and the World Bank this most important and historic International Reconstruction Conference on Liberia.
In my view, an excellent reference point for this Conference is the August 18, 2003, Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed by the Government of the Republic of Liberia, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, the Movement for Democracy in Liberia, the Political Parties and representatives of Civil Society. Let me share just a few words and phrases from that Agreement that should frame our work here over these two days.
The parties to the agreement were moved to respond to the "ardent desire of the people of Liberia for genuine lasting peace, national unity and reconciliation."
They:
-- Were committed to promoting an all-inclusive participation in governance and the advancement of democracy in Liberia, as well as promoting full respect for international humanitarian law and human rights.
-- Were committed to the establishment of an orderly transition process.
-- Called for the urgent establishment of a consolidated United Nations Mission that would have the resources to facilitate the implementation and coordination of the political, social, economic and security assistance to be extended under the agreement.
-- Called on the transition government to accord particular attention to the issue of the rehabilitation of vulnerable groups or war victims (children, women, the elderly and disabled).
We must not forget what brought the parties to that point.
As a result of 14 years of war, Liberia, once classified as a middle-income country in the 1970s, is now considered a failed state. The entire 3 million people of Liberia have been affected by this protracted conflict. As many as 250,000 people lost their lives in the civil war. Most were civilian non-combatants. More than 1.3 million were displaced, including hundreds of thousands that fled the country. Abductions, torture, rape and other human rights abuses have taken place on a massive scale. It is estimated that at least one in ten children may have been recruited into militias at one time or another. A similar percentage has been traumatized by seeing their families and friends murdered and raped.
One report from a 14-year-old to a New York Times reporter gives a vivid and troubling picture of the previous life of too many young Liberians.
This is the story of Dukuly, who reported that the first time he saw fighting he was 10 years old. He said that rebels and the government fighters shot up his home and they all ran in the bush. His parents, everybody ran away from the open firing, but he was captured. The former child soldier, now living in a shelter on the outskirts of Monrovia, recalled being forced to fight by government soldiers and rebel forces in previous battles. And his conclusion about his whole experience was: "I am feeling bad."
A recent Human Rights Watch report tells of a young man's entry into one of the militia forces: "On July 6, seven militia men came to my house, they tied my elbows behind my back and beat me. They raped my mother and two sisters in front of me... So, I had to go and fight them to revenge my mother and sisters."
With personal stories such as these, it is plain that the road to recovery will be a long and arduous one. To sustain this transition to peace and recovery, the international community must take full advantage of the historic opportunity we now have to aggressively assist the Liberians in achieving their objectives.
Let me talk now about three important points that must be taken into consideration in order to ensure that the Liberians achieve their objectives.
-- First of all, the disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration effort must -- I repeat "must" -- be successful.
-- A second point is that there must be an effective and to the extent possible, simultaneous, integration of humanitarian relief and development.
-- And third, there must be effective capacity-building to ensure sustainability of development.
Disarmament, Demobilization, Rehabilitation and Reintegration
Liberia's transition to peace and recovery depends on successful DDRR -- the shorthand for "disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration." If that fails, Liberia will remain an unstable, insecure state where people's lives will be constantly at risk and development hindered. Furthermore, an unstable Liberia contributes to an unstable region. This is evident from the flows of refugees back and forth between Liberia and its neighboring countries. Multiple armed conflicts have sprung up -- in Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, and in the border regions of Guinea -- as factional fighters have crossed from one country to the other, disrupting and displacing peaceful communities. Maintaining the peace in Sierra Leone and solidifying efforts to implement the Marcoussis Accords in Cote d'Ivoire depend in large measure on a peaceful, conflict-free Liberia.
Efforts in Liberia should be informed by the successes in other parts of Africa and the world.
What we have learned in the field and from an October 2002 UNDP paper is that DDRR must happen in a timely fashion and that rehabilitation and reintegration efforts are stalled until the disarmament and demobilization take place.
What we have also learned is that:
-- Reintegration is a complex process without a clear conclusion. At their best, reintegration programs merge into successful community reconstruction, with the restoration of agricultural livelihoods and the appearance of successful micro enterprises. Success is achieved when there is no longer a need for "reintegration" programs per se.
-- Combatants cannot be stereotyped as a homogenous group; they are diverse. In this case, the particular needs of grown and young men, women, and children who have participated in the fighting must all be addressed.
-- We also cannot forget the other non-combatant groups whose needs must be met. Programs targeted only at ex-combatants and their dependents often result in resentment and social division. It is critical for general community-based development programs to be established that include not only the ex-combatants and their relatives, but Internally Displaced Persons and refugees returning to their respective communities. Also, programs must address the needs of the individuals and families who stayed in their communities.
Human Rights Watch tells the story of Daniel, whose experience with the DDRR program led him back into the fighting forces: "I went through the program in 1997 and received some assistance but it soon ran out. For a while, I did some small jobs around Monrovia, but there was not much to do and I couldn't afford to go back to school. So two years ago, I decided to join the LURD. I figured it was better to fight and try to get something, than hang around town doing nothing."
This time, it is the responsibility of us all to ensure that this young man, and others like him, have alternatives to war.
Integration of Relief and Development
Many people feel that a continuum exists where relief needs are addressed first before longer-term development objectives can be tackled. The reality is something more complicated. Relief, rehabilitation and development assistance must be provided simultaneously. First and foremost, though, is the need to provide adequate security to the people of Liberia.
Furthermore, we must be realistic about the nature and extent of humanitarian assistance needs. A great deal will be required for some time in the future not only for the traditionally vulnerable groups but for many others. For example, the National Transitional Government of Liberia will have to be prepared to address the spontaneous return of Internally Displaced Persons and refugees.
However, while concentrating on humanitarian assistance, one cannot overlook areas such as social and economic recovery, including governance. Among the immediate developmental goals to address are: development of jobs for the ex-combatants; getting the children and young people back in school; addressing the effects of rampant violence against women and taking steps to ensure that women are equal partners in the new Liberia; and rebuilding all segments of society into healthy, functioning communities. Achieving all this will not be easy, but Liberians have been struggling for a long while, in vain. There still is work ahead, but work in the service of a happy and prosperous Liberia. That is worth the struggle.
Capacity Building Leads to Sustainability
Liberia's real wealth is in its people. But the people have, too long, been denied the tools to make their country great. Now, as we look to the future, the resources and the political will must be applied to make the efforts of the Liberian people count. And this means building the necessary capacity in the country. What is obvious is that a country in transition needs technical capacity building activities. But also, there is the need for more intangible capacity building activities such as:
-- Capacity to govern effectively so that the citizens can enjoy basic services. Often national and local governments need training and technical assistance in the ways of establishing sound financial tools and practices in the areas of municipal finance, clarification of service delivery roles, customer service improvement, and institutionalization of citizen participation mechanisms.
-- Capacity to govern and live without corruption. Possible responses to the underlying causes of corruption include institutional reforms to limit authority, improve accountability, and realign incentives, as well as societal reforms to change attitudes and mobilize political will for sustained anti-corruption interventions.
-- Capacity to enforce respect for human rights and enforce providing equal access to opportunity.
Capacity building must also target civil society. From grassroots community groups to national organizations, Liberians must strengthen their organizations and thus, empower themselves. With a strong civil society, the country is enriched and people's voices are better heard. Liberians will then be able to firmly take hold of the responsibility of the future of their country. In doing so, the tremendous task of rebuilding the country will be shared between all citizens and everyone will have a stake in changing the course of Liberia's history.
Capacity building, be it of the government, the private sector or civil society, is crucial to the sustainability of development efforts in Liberia. We donors must keep this firmly in view, because without it, our work will be in vain. It is imperative that we work together to promote capacity building to ensure that people's lives are changed for the long term.
Conclusion
With an estimated population of only 3 million people, concentrated assistance can have a tremendous impact. The international community must help Liberia seize the opportunity that currently exists. Liberia can change the course of history from conflict and suffering toward peace and prosperity. Not only do the people of Liberia deserve this, but the people of the region should benefit from this change. Liberia is key to the future stability of West Africa. So for the well-being of Liberians and West Africans as a whole, the international community should make the difference it is capable of making by providing funding, support, and leadership to help the Liberians be successful -- successful in meeting the ardent desire of the people of Liberia for genuine lasting peace, national unity, reconciliation, as well as economic growth. Liberia already is a country rich in natural and human resources. If we all do our part we will provide a new and critical resource -- hope.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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