Liberia Government (Monrovia)
23 October 2009
Stockholm — The fourth European Development Days forum got underway Thursday, October 22, in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, with women issues dominating an opening session of the event.
Addressing a high-level roundtable on "Women and Security," Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf spoke of the need to formulate National Action Plans concerning Security Council Resolution 1325, and strong advocacy for their implementation. According to an Executive Mansion dispatch from Stockholm, the Liberian leader observed that too often national policy issues affecting women fail because they lack proper framework for implementation.
Citing the role of women in the Liberian peace process, the President spoke of the critical role women play in the restoration of peace, but regretted that, despite their role, women continue to be underrepresented at the decision-making levels. The President observed that, like Liberia, most developing countries still lack the critical mass necessary for female representation at levels to impact national policies.
Unless national governments take more concrete actions to educate and empower women, the President said, women will continue to be underrepresented. She stated that her Government has taken some measures to improve the capacity of women, including the introduction of educational programs targeted primarily towards female enrollment in schools.
Speakers agreed on the need to ensure the representation of women at strategic levels. They observed that women are underrepresented at high-level peace-building initiatives, although they bear the brunt of suffering during conflicts. Other speakers called for affirmative action to empower women to ensure that issues affecting them are addressed at higher levels.
Other Panelists included: Gunilla Carlson, Minister of International Development Corporation of Sweden; Margot Wallström, Vice President of the European Commission; Patricia Buritica, Commissioner of the National Commission for Reparations and Reconciliation of Colombia; and Ruth Ojiambo Ochieng, Executive Director of Isis - the Women's International Cross-Cultural Exchange.
Participating in the roundtable on "Giving Rural Development a Voice," President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf spoke of the serious challenge to attract young people to rural parts of the country. She cited the mass migration to the city by young rural dwellers during the country's civil conflict, and said that they are reluctant to return home because the areas lack basic infrastructure, including schools, roads, medical services, etc.
Unless social services and infrastructure are restored, the Liberian leader observed, it will be difficult to attract young professionals to rural areas. The President spoke of the introduction of short- and medium-term vocational exchanges as efforts are made to improve social services and create more jobs in rural areas.
Sierra Leonean President, Ernest Bai Koroma, who also participated in the roundtable, said the development of the agricultural sector was essential in creating opportunities for young people to return to the rural areas. President Koroma also agreed that the lack of amenities was making it difficult to get young people to return to rural areas.
The session brought together young people, known as Young Ambassadors for Rural Development, from a number of countries. They spoke about their experiences working in rural areas, and urged young people to see their involvement in rural development as a service to their people.
President Johnson Sirleaf arrived in Stockholm on Thursday, at the invitation of the Swedish Prime Minister, in his capacity as President of the European Union, and the Presidency of the European Commission, to participate in the fourth edition of the European Development Days Forum. EDD continues through Friday, October 23, with more high-level roundtables, including a session on "Media and Development," and a plenary session on "Democracy and Development", with its focus on citizenship and development.
The Liberian President will also hold bilateral discussions with leading financial officials, European Commission executives, as well as Swedish officials.
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