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DIALOGUE

In this section:
Mission of the Month: Liberia
Notes from Natsios

Mission of the Month: Liberia

Liberians line up to vote Oct. 11, 2005, in the first national elections in their country since 1997. Maj. Thomas Cook

CHALLENGE

It began as a beacon for freed slaves from America, and since independence in 1847, the West African country enjoyed more than a century of relative peace.

The 1980s, however, began a period of unrest. In 1989 civil war broke out after Charles Taylor and his supporters went up against the sitting government. The fighting led to 200,000 deaths and about a million refugees fleeing to neighboring countries. Even after Taylor won power in an election, the country failed to thrive and fighting began anew.

After international negotiations, Taylor resigned in 2003 and went into exile in Nigeria. A comprehensive peace agreement was brokered and the country began the long process of restoring its economy, infrastructure, government, and people back to health.

RESPONSE

Since the peace agreement, USAID’s Liberia mission has focused on the reintegration and rehabilitation of ex-combatants and those affected by the war. For example:

• A nationwide public works program that established construction brigades employing up to 25,000 people.
  
  
• UNICEF’s Accelerated Learning Program, which condenses the primary school curriculum from six years to three.
  
  
• School rehabilitation and teacher training; textbooks and other educational materials; curriculum development.
  
• Psychological counseling and specialized training for women and children linked to ex-combatants.
  
  
• Literacy classes, rural radio programs, and peace councils.
  
  
• Reform of the Liberian Forest Development Authority to end timber-for-weapons deals that led to U.N. timber sanctions against Liberia.
  
  
• With the Departments of Justice and State, support for the rule of law, legal aid centers, public defenders, and public outreach.
  
  
• A comprehensive program of primary and reproductive healthcare services through community clinics; assistance to Liberian NGOs delivering primary healthcare; and health policy work with the transition government.
  
  
• Programs to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS.
  
  
• Continuation of the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance and Food for Peace (FFP) with providing humanitarian relief and assistance, particularly to the large population of internally displaced persons. FFP also runs food-for-work programs. In addition, the Office of Transition Initiative’s community reintegration program expects to reach 30,000 youth.
  

RESULTS

In Liberia’s election on Oct. 11, 2005, voter turnout was 75 percent.
“It was inspiring to be a spectator of these historic elections,” said Africa Bureau Assistant Administrator Lloyd Pierson, who was among the U.S. delegation of election monitors.

“People lined up for hours to cast their vote, in the glaring sun as well as the pouring rain. They were excited to vote in what many described as the first truly free election in decades.”

The election—where 22 candidates ran for president—required a runoff between the two top vote-getters. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a Harvard University-trained technocrat, was eventually declared the winner over former football star George Weah. She is now Africa’s first elected female head of state.

The $10 million provided by the Liberia mission covered international and domestic observers and voter education campaigns.

“The completion of free, fair, and peaceful elections was a crucial step for a country recovering from 15 years of civil war,” Pierson said. “However, there is little doubt that these elections are one step in a process. Liberians have to understand that the elections are the start of a reconciliation and rebuilding process, not the end.”

The inauguration was scheduled for Jan. 16, to be attended by First Lady Laura Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and USAID Acting Administrator Frederick W. Schieck.

Notes from Natsios

Andrew Natsios

Before the tsunami struck South Asia last year, the people of Aceh, Indonesia, lived under very different circumstances. Aceh was in a state of emergency and conflict. Few saw peace on the horizon. No one could have predicted that a tsunami would shatter their lives.
Today, one year later, we commemorate the lost lives and recognize the reconstruction that is underway. I was pleased that the president sent me to the region as a representative to attend the one-year memorial.

On December 26, 2004, the people of Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand suffered a disaster beyond imagination. At least 280,000 people are missing or confirmed dead. The tsunami, which reached as far as eastern Africa, displaced nearly 1 million people.

The world was moved to respond with speed and compassion. The American people, through the U.S. government, quickly delivered temporary shelter, food, and clean water to those in need. Hand in hand with people from the affected countries, NGOs, and U.N. agencies, USAID worked to provide relief, stabilize the humanitarian situation, avert public health crises, and help survivors reclaim their lives.

Nearly 600,000 people affected by the tsunami in Indonesia alone have benefited from U.S. relief assistance for everything from temporary shelter, food, water purification, and sanitation to psychological and child protection programs. In Aceh, projects provided assistance to every affected district, targeting both hard-hit urban areas and hard-to-reach rural areas.

This disaster, however, was also an opportunity for change, which the Acehnese people have seized. Billions of dollars have been mobilized to help Aceh rebound. The Government of Indonesia has appointed strong leadership and created a new agency to spearhead reconstruction. A peace agreement has been signed, and now paves the way for reconstruction efforts to rebuild the lives, the communities, and the economy for the people of Aceh and for Indonesia as a whole.

The American people continue to be committed to the recovery. The United States allocated $400.1 million to support immediate and long-term recovery in Aceh and North Sumatra—part of a $907.3 million total U.S. contribution to relief and reconstruction in the region. There has also been an overwhelming response to the call for private contributions by former Presidents Bush and Clinton.

The results can be clearly seen in Indonesia. Our partnership with this country is restoring livelihoods, creating jobs, improving health and hygiene, creating education and training opportunities, reconstructing the Banda Aceh to Meulaboh road and its bridges, and helping communities plan. We are committed to helping the Achenese people to “build back better.”

The United States knows how hard it is to pick up the pieces. We’ve faced our own challenges from natural disasters this year.

Many thousands of people in the hurricane-ravaged South and Southwest are just beginning to rebuild after Katrina and Rita washed away so much.

I have been very impressed by the hardworking, dedicated people of Aceh.

The United States supports Indonesia in achieving its goals—there is no better way to commemorate the people who lost their lives in this tragedy.

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