Monrovia – In advance of the 10 October 2017 general elections in Liberia, Japan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), have signed an exchange of notes to strengthen election security with a fund of US$1.14 million.
The project is to support the deployment of Police and other civilian security personnel to provide security during the elections.
At the signing ceremony heads of the National Elections Commission, Liberia National Police, the Ambassador of Japan to Liberia and the Deputy Director of Operations of UNDP all acknowledged the importance that this funding gap is being filled.
Exchanging the notes at the headquarters of the election commission, the Ambassador of Japan to Liberia Mr. Kaoru Yoshimura, stressed:
“The elections in October will once again mark an important milestone in Liberia’s democracy and nation building.”
“Japan’s support is an indication of its commitment to peace and stability in Africa. We are confident our support and that of other development partners would greatly contribute to peaceful, democratic and credible election.”
Chairman of the National Elections Commission, Cllr. Jerome G. Korkoya, welcomed the grant underscoring the importances in ensuring elections are held in a secure environment. The Chair stressed:
“Elections are in many ways about partnerships and national institutions working together. “
“The National Elections Commission’s preparations for the 10 October 2017 elections are on track. It is extremely encouraging that our partners at the Liberia National Police and other security agencies are equally prepared and our international partners Japan and UNDP have supported financing for a key part of their policing tasks.”
Inspector General of Police, Gregory Coleman, also welcomed the grant and reiterated the role of joint security services in building trust and confidence in credible elections. He took the opportunity to highlight the commitment of the Police to the electoral process:
“On behalf of the President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and the Liberia National Police family, we would like to thank and appreciate the Government and people of Japan for the continuous support given the LNP and the nation, Liberia, as a whole, especially during this elections period.”We remain forever grateful.”
Signing the exchange of notes on behalf of the UNDP, Ms Rokya Ye Dieng, Deputy Country Director for Operations underlined how important and timely the support from Japan is for the forthcoming elections:
“Professional election security is key to successful elections.”
“The support from the Government of Japan will guarantee security across the country ensuring that election material is safe and secure at all times.”
“It will also support good community based policing principles on Election Day.”
“I cannot stress enough how important this support is for the national joint security services being deployed.”
“I would like to thank the Government and people of Japan for supporting Liberia at this crucial moment.”
The support reflects the long-standing partnership between Japan, the Republic of Liberia and the United Nations Development Programme.