Umotoni: Peace Must Deliver Development For Liberians

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Liberia, Christine Umotoni, has called for increased investment in people, stronger institutions and expanded economic opportunities, saying Liberia still faces major development challenges despite progress in peacebuilding and economic growth.

Speaking during a media stakeout in Monrovia, Umotoni said the country had made progress in consolidating peace but needed to do more to address poverty, unemployment and gaps in essential social services.

“Peace is never an end in its own. It's a continuous journey,” she said, stressing that maintaining peace must go hand in hand with the development needed to improve people’s lives.

Umotoni acknowledged Liberia’s economic progress, citing reports indicating five percent economic growth and pointing to the mining sector’s contribution.

“From what we hear from reports of World Bank and others who monitor the economy, there has been a growth of 5%,” she said.

She added that “much of it also the growth of 17% coming from the mining sector.”

The UN Resident Coordinator also referenced Liberia’s reported collection of one billion United States dollars in domestic revenue, which she described as an important development in the country’s efforts to mobilize domestic resources.

“I heard about the 1 billion revenue collection, an important factor of domestic resource modernization,” Umotoni said.

However, she cautioned that economic gains must be accompanied by progress in addressing the country’s social and development challenges.

“There are challenges in employment, challenges in poverty, levels that we need to work on, on many social indicators, health, education, women empowerment, youth, infrastructure,” she said.

She also identified agriculture and climate change as areas requiring greater attention, noting that Liberia still had considerable work ahead in its development efforts.

“These may not be peculiar to Liberia only, but Liberia itself knows that there are challenges and there is a road ahead,” Umotoni added.

She said the United Nations was aligning its cooperation with Liberia’s national development priorities to support progress in key sectors.

“But through the National Development Plan, through the AID, there is a clear vision. And it is that vision that we, as the UN, align our own cooperation framework,” she said.

According to Umotoni, the UN’s cooperation framework focuses on human capital development, governance and the rule of law, economic development, and environmental sustainability.

She reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to working with Liberia to strengthen institutions, expand opportunities and ensure that development benefits all sections of society.

“Our vision remains clear, a peaceful, inclusive, prosperous and resilient Liberia,” she said, adding that the goal was for every citizen to realize their potential and contribute meaningfully to the development of their communities and country.

Umotoni emphasized that achieving that vision would require continued investment in people, stronger institutions and greater opportunities for women and young people.

She also highlighted the need for innovative approaches to development financing, including stronger engagement with the private sector and expanded partnerships.

“We are at a moment globally where we know that the financial architecture or the financing architecture requires lots of innovation,” she said.

She explained that the UN was exploring integrated financing frameworks and broader partnerships to help Liberia advance its development priorities.

Umotoni also acknowledged the media’s role in national development, describing it as an important channel for informing the public and encouraging engagement on key issues.

“We really appreciate the role that the media plays in development generally,” she said. “Your voice, when well used, is a very powerful tool to inform not only the population, educate the population, but engage on development issues.”

She said the United Nations remained committed to working with the Liberian government and other partners to advance peace and development across the country.