President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has renewed her government’s commitment to protect and respect Liberia’s children as they push for their rights.

Speaking at a Children’s Festival, held at the Samuel K. Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville on Saturday, November 24, President Sirleaf assured the children and child rights advocacy groups of government’s fullest support in maintaining the dignity of Liberian children and creating the enabling environment wherein they will realize their full potential.

“In 2006, during my first mandate, I told the world that our children’s rights will be fully prioritized, and we have remained on course to this commitment,” the Liberian leader told the gathering.

According to an Executive Mansion release, President Sirleaf used the occasion to praise the Country Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Ms. Isabel Crowley, for her agency’s collaboration with government in pushing for the rights of Liberian children.

Speaking earlier, Ms. Crowley attributed the success of child advocacy in Liberia to President Sirleaf’s commitment to respecting and protecting the children, and she promised more collaboration with government in that regard.

Saturday’s Children Festival, organized by the Ministry of Gender and Development in collaboration with UNICEF, brought together over 5,000 children from Montserrado and adjacent counties.

Reconciliation in Bomi County

As part of President Sirleaf’s activities at the weekend, she participated in a reconciliation and development meeting of Bomi County citizens in her home town of Julijuah.

There, the people of Bomi agreed to put their differences behind them, and support government’s development agenda. They realized, the citizens said, that unless they can form a common front, their county will not achieve its desired development goals.

The citizens pledged their support to the county, one of the co-hosts of the 2013 Independence celebrations that will be shared with Gbarpolu and Grand Cape Mount counties. They called upon the President to appoint a steering committee that will coordinate the county’s role in the upcoming celebration.

In response, President Sirleaf urged her compatriots to support the national reconciliatory initiative by their action to let go their differences. She promised to liaise with the legislative caucuses of the three counties to form a central steering committee, from which a steering committee for the county level would be formed.

The meeting of citizens of Bomi County brought together its Legislative Caucus, Chiefs and Traditional Leaders, and the Youth.