Secretary-General Welcomes Successful Wrap Up of Peacekeeping Mandate in Liberia, Commending Government’s Continued Efforts to Ensure Sustainable Peace, Growth

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Secretary-General welcomes the successful conclusion of the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) on 30 March 2018.

The Secretary-General congratulates the people and Government of Liberia for their determination to turn the page on crisis and conflict.  He commends the Government’s continued efforts to ensure sustained peace and sustainable development in Liberia.

As United Nations peacekeeping departs Liberia, the Secretary-General appreciates the essential contributions of all partners in the Liberian peace process over the years, particularly the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), whose green helmets laid the foundation for United Nations peacekeepers in Liberia.

The Secretary-General is appreciative of the excellent leadership of his Special Representative for Liberia, Farid Zarif, thanks all previous leaders of the Mission, and pays tribute to all uniformed and civilian personnel who served with UNMIL.  The Secretary-General expresses his profound respect to the memory of the 202 peacekeepers who lost their lives in the service of peace during the nearly 15 years the Mission was deployed in Liberia.  He expresses his gratitude to all troop- and police-contributing countries. 

The Secretary-General reiterates the commitment of the United Nations family present in Liberia to continuing to support the Government with the implementation of outstanding reform activities with a view to ensuring that the hard-won peace can be sustained and the country and its people will continue to progress and thrive.