Antalya, Turkey – Liberia has reaffirmed its commitment to the protocols of the Istanbul Program of Action at the Midterm Review of the Istanbul Program of Action that convened in Antalya as Vice President Joseph Boakai who was the first Speaker at the Plenary Friday explained to the delegates the achievements of the Liberian Government through the Agenda for Transformation.
Vice President Boakai addressing the delegates said Liberia adopted its first five year development plan, the agenda for Transformation and the national vision 2030.
The agenda focuses on key pillars including peace, justice, security, the rule of law, economic transformation, human development, governance, public institutions and cross-cutting issues, a dispatch from Antalya said.
He told the conferees that the launch of the agenda for transformation, afforded Liberia the opportunity to dissect both the Istanbul Program of Action and the Agenda for Transformation.
The analysis found that eight programs of action of the IPoA were in line with the Agenda for Transformation of Liberia.
He informed the conference that the Liberia Development Alliance, an institutional framework already in place responsible for coordination, monitoring and reporting the implementation of the AfT was given the added mandate of IPOA coordination, monitoring and reporting.
According to the Vice President, the first report of the Istanbul Program of Action in 2012 and early this year the Midterm report was submitted to the Office of the High Representative and under Secretary General of the United Nations.
According to the dispatch, the Vice President mentioned the challenges face by the nation as a result of the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease and the decline in the prices of export commodities of, rubber and iron ore.
Despite the decline in the economic situation of Liberia, the nation focused on the building of productive capacities through the promotion of light manufacturing and the small and medium sized enterprises particularly in the agriculture sector.
Noting further, Vice President Boakai pointed out that the energy and power sectors are of great national priority as Liberia continues to count among countries with the highest tariff per kilowatt hour of electricity in the world.
He went on to mention the mount coffee hydroelectric plant, the three heavy fuel oil, West Africa Power Pool and the Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea are the different interventions in the sector to generate more electricity for the population.