UN Envoy Pledges Continued Support To Liberian Government

The United Nations Envoy in Liberia, Ms. Ellen Margrethe Løj, has pledged
continued UN support to the Government of Liberia, especially in the fight against
crime. “Cases of armed robbery, mob violence, and rape still remain high,” she
observed. “And UNMIL has joined the Government and other partners to launch
anti-crime and anti-rape campaigns across the country to deal with these
challenges.”

She added that active community involvement and cooperation would be crucial for
success in the fight against crime. “Together with the full cooperation and
support of the public and communities we serve, we can succeed in dealing with
these problems.”

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) was speaking at a medal
parade during the weekend when
she awarded UN peacekeeping medals to 165 military observers (MILOBs) and Staff
Officers of various nationalities serving in the UN Mission in Liberia, (UNMIL).


SRSG Løj said that even though UNMIL has embarked on the first phase of its
drawdown plan, the Mission will remain committed in its support and assistance to
the Government and people of Liberia, so that further progress can be achieved in
the areas of Security Sector reform, Rule of Law reform, Governance, Economic
Development, and the effective implementation of the newly-completed Poverty
Reduction Strategy, PRS.

Explaining the important role that the medal recipients play in work of the
Mission, Ms. Løj, stated, ‘Our staff officers are the principal advisers to the
Force Commander and work within the Force Headquarters to help direct all the
military operations”. She added, “These tasks enable our diverse peacekeeping
units, out in the field, to undertake the complex and multifaceted duties we
assign them.”

Staff Officers are military and enlisted personnel possessing knowledge and skills
in the fields of personnel administration, intelligence, military operations,
logistics, civil military operations, communications, training, engineering,
medicine, public information, legal and military justice. The UN Envoy further
described the military observers as the eyes and ears of the Mission across the
country, providing senior management with regular assessments on security and
public order, movements across the country’s borders, community disputes, weapons
collections and socio-economic assessment.

In his remarks at the parade, Chief of Staff, UNMIL Forces, Brig.-Gen. Emmanuel
Quist, commended his colleagues for their dedication and professionalism. “The
Staff Officers and Military Observers in spite of all odds and difficulties have
worked tirelessly and have always come up with the desired results and
expectations.”
The Medal award ceremony was attended by Deputy Special Representative of the
Secretary General for Recovery and Governance Jordan Ryan, UNMIL Force Commander
Chikadibia Isaac Obiakor and other senior officials of UNMIL.