UNMIL Opens Office In Northern Liberia

Deputy UN Envoy, Mr. Jordan Ryan, has called on staff of the United Nations in Liberia to advance the concept of the One UN “at work together”, encouraging even greater joint planning and programming. Mr. Ryan was speaking in the provincial capital of northern Lofa County , Voinjama, when he commissioned the first joint-UN office in Liberia , bringing together six UN agencies and the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) under one roof.

“With this One UN family at work together, grassroots decision-making about projects and programmes will be encouraged,” Mr. Ryan, who is also UN Resident Coordinator in Liberia , assured the UN staff. “This will accelerate program planning and implementation at the county level.” He encouraged staff to face squarely any possible bureaucratic bottlenecks, emphasizing that real collaboration must begin on the ground with every staff of the UN putting the values of the UN ahead of agency differences.

The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Recovery and Governance expressed delight over the realization of the ‘One UN' dream in Lofa County and called on all staff to work together more effectively. “We should, as much as possible, project the image of a United Nations, and take advantage of the opportunities we have from UNMIL agencies with specialized mandates working closely together to advance the interest of the Liberian people,” the DSRSG stressed.

Commending those who supported the realization of this one UN office, Mr. Ryan urged the local government leaders, including the Superintendent of Lofa County, to consider the new office as a unique opportunity for enhanced collaboration in the realization of initiatives under the County Support Team and the County Development Agendas.

Lofa County Superintendent, Mr. Galakpai Kortimai, praised and thanked the UN for restoring peace and basic social services to Liberia . He urged the UN's implementing partners to speed up the completion of on-going projects to enable the county achieve its recovery, rehabilitation and development objectives on time.

The UN office in Voinjama, the first established in Liberia, brings together six UN agencies – FAO, UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, WFP, and WHO – together with UNMIL. Under the ‘One UN' umbrella, the UN entities will now share facilities and expertise, undertake joint assessments and collaborate in planning, programming, implementing and monitoring projects in Lofa County .