Deputy UN Envoy Urges Respect For Rule Of Law

The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) for the Rule of Law, Ms. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, has stressed the importance of cultivating a strong culture of the rule of law in Liberia to sustain the hard-won peace.

Addressing a graduation ceremony of a group of newly-trained corrections officers at the Liberia National Police Training Academy in the Monrovia suburb of Paynesville, she described rule of law as the cornerstone for nurturing and sustaining the peace.

“Now that peace has returned to Liberia , and an elected democratic government is in place, respect for the rule of law must be seen as the cornerstone for the nurturing of the sustained peace,” she emphasized. Ms. Mensa-Bonsu told the corrections officers that as an important part of the legal system, they should ensure respect for the rule of law in everything they do. “Doing your bit to uphold the peace is a major task for you, and I urge you all to contribute towards the sustenance of these ideals by precept and by example.”

The Deputy UN Envoy, who is a law professor, reminded the new officers that they would be responsible for the care, custody and control of human beings, and urged them to uphold internationally accepted standards of human rights in their day-to-day activities. “It is imperative that you focus on how to ensure the humane treatment of prisoners entrusted to your care, while at the same time maintaining a safe and secure environment for them, and assisting in the reform and rehabilitation of prisoners to become law-abiding citizens,” she pointed out.

The DSRSG challenged the new officers to display a high degree of discipline on the job, saying “discipline is the bedrock of success in everything we do.” She urged them to apply on the job, the knowledge they had acquired during the 12-month training, and in the spirit of continuous learning, keep abreast of developments in their profession.

In efforts to build the capacity of Liberia 's Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation for it to adequately contribute to the building of an effective criminal justice system, the Corrections Advisory Unit of the United Nations Mission in Liberia has been collaborating with Liberia 's Justice Ministry to train corrections officers. This is the fifth batch of officers to be trained since the collaboration began, bringing the total number of trained officers to 142, with 67 more currently under training. According to Liberia 's Director of Prisons, Mr. Zayzay Volawuo, the target is to train 500 officers to run the 13 functional prison facilities in the country.