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The UN Security Council has asked Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to conduct a study on the role played by its peace-keeping mission in resolving conflicts and other challenges that Liberia had faced.
In a Presidential Statement adopted on Thursday, the 15-member body said it “looks forward to the results of this study’’.
The Security Council said the study could be useful when considering ways to enhance the overall effectiveness of UN peacekeeping.
The Council commended the remarkable achievements made by the people and Government of Liberia to consolidate lasting peace and stability in the wake of a 1999 to 2003 civil war.
The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) closed on March 30, ending a nearly 15-year presence in the West African country, which had been devastated by 14 years of civil war.
In the statement, the Council welcomed the continued implementation of the peacebuilding plan for Liberia as submitted by Guterres.
It stressed that the UN would continue to be an important partner with Liberia after the closure of UNMIL.
Addressing the Council, Alexander Zuev, Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions in the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, commended the people of Liberia for their resilience.
Zuev said the resilience of the people of Liberia was the deciding factor in turning the page on conflict whose determination would ensure that the hard-won peace was sustained.
“For nearly 25 years, the situation in Liberia was so concerning that it has been a constant presence on this Council’s agenda.
“But the country has turned an important corner,’’ Zuev said.
In January, President George Weah succeeded Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who had led Liberia since 2006.
The succession marked the first peaceful transfer of power between democratically elected leaders in 71 years.
Zuev said the important work of continuing to build a unified, reconciled nation with an accountable Government, committed to addressing corruption within its ranks, now lies with the people and Government of Liberia.
The UN official challenged them to build a nation, where all citizens share the benefits of Liberia’s abundant natural and human resources.
He tasked Liberia with building a nation, fully responsible for its own destiny, with institutions and a government providing basic guarantees of security, protection and services to its citizens.
“The conclusion of UNMIL’s mandate is a remarkable demonstration of confidence that the country is moving steadfastly along the path of sustained peace,’’ he said.