Part of our job here at ONE is to show you the living proof that smart aid is working in the world’s poorest places. So, when we saw this op-ed in the Washington Post by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, we had to share it with you.
In her piece, President Johnson-Sirleaf commends the US’ support to Liberia and urges Congress to continue this aid in next year’s budget. She recognizes that the US is suffering from the global economic crisis, but reassures that US foreign aid is helping to save lives and increase productivity and political stability. And as the goodwill ambassador of WaterAid, she discusses the importance of clean water and sanitation in her efforts to lift Liberia out of poverty.
President Barack Obama lauded the “heroism” of Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Thursday, saying her commitment to democracy stood as an example for other troubled African nations.
Obama met Sirleaf in the Oval Office, and pledged the United States would stand with Liberia at every step of the way of its democratic development.
“I have been an extraordinary admirer of her work for many years now…. The United States and Liberia are close friends, longstanding partners, and Liberia is now emerging from a very difficult period,” Obama said.
“Part of the reason it has been able to emerge is because of the heroism and courage of President Sirleaf.”
“She is committed to the rule of law, made strides in reforming the judiciary and in all these endeavors I want to make sure the people of Liberia understand… that the United States is a constant friend and partner.”
Obama said Sirleaf’s example should be taken as inspiration to other African nations including, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Niger.
Sirleaf said her country had made important progress, and she thanked Obama for his and America’s support.
Africa’s first elected female head of state, Sirleaf said that she would not hide the fact that Liberia had challenges, but added that all basic freedoms were alive in her country today.
“We said that we were going to make Liberia rise again. I come today on behalf of the Liberian people to say that we have made a lot of progress,” she said.
Today, May 14th, marks Liberia’s National Unification Day, a holiday on which Liberians recognize the years of civil strife within Liberia and rededicate themselves to the ideals upheld by the Unification Act which promotes unity of all Liberians regardless of tribe or clan, section, creed or economic status. An advocacy group dedicated to promoting a united Liberia, One Liberia (unrelated to ONE.org though aptly named), has launched a campaign around National Unification Day to encourage Liberians to embrace their diversity and promote understanding among all Liberians via a unity pledge. As a part of this campaign, One Liberia requested and received statements addressing the theme of national unity in Liberia from prominent individuals, including President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
“It is very important for us to not only celebrate this day but to promote unification in everything that we do because of what our nation has experienced through the many years of conflict that divided us. We found in recent years ethnic strife, religious strife – some of it stemming from historical problems, some of it stemming from more recent problems relating to land ownership, but we must now make sure that we begin to rekindle what national unification stands for; that spirit, that commitment to bring our people together as one nation, one people, with one destiny.” – President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
You can listen to all of President Sirleaf’s statement, sign the Unification Day pledge and learn more about One Liberia on their website.
In yesterday’s edition of The Globe and Mail (guest-edited by ONE co-founder Bono and ONE activist Bob Geldof), Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has an excellent piece on good government and aid effectiveness in Africa. In it she argues that “African governments and, crucially, their development partners too, must continue demonstrating equal commitment to the leadership and accountability that are making a difference”.
Below is a short excerpt– you can read the full column here:
We have hope for a brighter, more prosperous future, with the International Monetary Fund forecasting the Liberian economy to grow strongly in the years to come.
Liberia’s recent transition to better government is very apparent, but not unique in Africa. Across the continent, there are more democratically elected administrations, increased human rights, greater press freedoms, increasing standards of accountability. Regional examples of best practices include Ghana and Botswana.
Of course, the situation is not perfect, and there is much more to do. Elections are necessary, but not sufficient for fully accountable government. We still must do more to support our institutions, to increase capacity and to strengthen the pillars of good government, such as our judicial systems.
However, with the support of the international community, advances in good governance have helped create the conditions for real and meaningful improvements in the lives of millions of people across the continent – with the World Bank reporting that poverty rates are falling, from 58 to 51 per cent across the continent in just six years.
As the systems of democracy, transparency and accountability are strengthened, as their capacity improves, African nations will increasingly acquire the technical skills to take ownership of their development policies, just as my government worked with the National Legislature and our citizens to draw up a poverty reduction strategy as a blueprint for a better nation.
While at a press conference with Secretary Clinton on Wednesday, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf—the first democratically elected female President in Africa—noted the importance of U.S. aid to her country. In response to a reporter’s question (directed towards Secretary Clinton) about the effectiveness of U.S. aid, Sirleaf remarked:
“Secretary Clinton, let me not let that impression go unaddressed. It is not correct to say that U.S. aid has not had an impact. If you look at where we were two and a half years ago and you look at the development today under each of our four pillars in the poverty reduction strategy, you see roads being constructed…you see farms starting to operate again.”
Liberia’s four poverty reduction strategies are: consolidating peace and security, revitalizing the economy, strengthening governance and the rule of law, and rebuilding infrastructure and delivering basic services.
To read the full remarks from the press conference, click here.
To read more African SMART Aid success stories, click here.
Forbes Magazine this week features an article by Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Paul Kagame, Seretse Khama Ian Khama, and Abdoulaye Wade (the presidents of Liberia, Rwanda, Botswana, and Senegal respectively.) In the piece entitled “Partnership, Not Patronage” the presidents discuss the challenges and opportunities confronting Africa as Secretary of State Clinton embarks on her 7-country, 11-day trip through the continent.
Just three weeks after President Barack Obama’s triumphant return from Africa, the real challenge to achieving strategic change lies in Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s own upcoming visit. Left unsaid as the president boarded Air Force One is the fact that Africa seeks not patrons but collaborators who will work “with” rather than “for” the continent. If the Obama administration wishes to truly make a difference, it must do so as an equal partner, addressing several low-cost, high-impact priorities.
Ultimately, Africa’s quality of life will depend on the health of its citizens. The centerpiece of U.S. support for HIV/AIDS in Africa–the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief–has helped expand life-saving treatment. President Obama has an opportunity to make PEPFAR more effective by moving from emergency to long-term support–as in the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s five-year partnership model, with each country taking ownership of the design of its programs.
Finally, we need more effective and predictable development lending. The U.S. remains the main exception to the common donor practice of channeling development assistance through financial systems of recipient countries. Done with sufficient safeguards, this strengthens country ownership, responsibility and accountability. The U.S.’s reluctance to embrace shared multilateral approaches limits the impact of its foreign assistance.
President Obama’s charisma, oratory and heritage have excited Africa as never before. Now substantive action that realizes the promise of his visit needs to be on Secretary Clinton’s agenda during her visit to seven African countries.
ONE is campaigning to ensure that the Congressional budget does not cut foreign assistance programs like Feed the Future that help people break the cycle of poverty and hunger.
The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years. More than 11 million people, mostly nomadic pastoralists and farmers in south-central Somalia, north-eastern Kenya, and south-eastern Ethiopia, are severely lacking access to food.
2011 marks 30 years since the first cases of AIDS were documented. Take a closer look at the specific, achievable goals we must hit by 2015 to make this year the beginning of the end of AIDS.
As aid agencies warn more than 9 million people could be affected by a food crisis in East Africa, world leaders are failing to keep their 2009 promises to tackle the causes of chronic hunger and support farmers in the world's poorest countries.
Part of our job here at ONE is to show you the living proof that smart aid is working in the world’s poorest places. So, when we saw this 
