Statement delivered by Velia De Pirro,
U.S. Mission Political Counselor

Human Rights Council
Geneva,
March 23, 2007

Thank you, Mr. President.

The United States welcomes the report by Ms. Charlotte Abaka on human rights developments in Liberia.  The United States commends the government of Liberia for its cooperation with the Independent Expert, and we pledge our continued strong support to the Liberian government and people in the rebuilding of their country.

My country is a strong supporter of Liberia and very much appreciates Ms. Abaka’s current assessment of the human rights situation there.  The United States has been working actively with the government in Monrovia on assistance programs to build capacity, increase formal and informal learning opportunities, enhance the peace process, and promote good governance.  Technical assistance includes support to the Ministry of Labor and schools to eliminate the worst forms of child labor; support to the National Elections Commission for free and fair elections; technical and material support to the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Secretariat; and technical and financial support to the Ministry of Labor’s Child Labor Commission. 

We wholeheartedly agree with the report’s recommendations for the strengthening of Liberia’s judicial system.  With this in mind, we established the Justice Sector Support for Liberia program, which provides training to Liberia’s Justice sector personnel.  In addition, we are funding the American Bar Association-Africa, which operates a legal aid clinic at the law school in Monrovia that has trained mediators.

We thank Ms. Abaka for her update on Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and welcome the report’s emphasis on the urgency of getting this important mechanism for national healing and reconciliation up-and-running. 

Our question to Ms. Abaka: What is your sense of the current mood among Liberians for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and how can the Human Rights Council play a more supportive role in the overall process? 

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