Monrovia — Newly elected members of Liberia's Legislature have pledged their commitment to prioritize issues impacting the growth and development of women, girls, and children in discussions at the legislature.
This commitment was highlighted by the newly elected and re-elected members of Liberia's House of Representatives and the Senate during a two-day retreat organized by Integrity Watch-Liberia with support from UN Women.
"Ensure that all donor off-budget projects and programs are analyzed from a general perspective and accompanied by a gender statement of the national budget," asserted a portion of the recommendations made by the newly elected lawmakers.
The recommendations further explained, "Ensure the orderliness and participation of key stakeholders in the budget process are followed."
The recommendations also emphasized the need to "ensure that Budget Performance Reports capture and clearly document actual outcomes, measurable achievements, challenges, and recommendations for continuous improvements."
Representative P. Mike Jurry of Maryland County District Number One commended Integrity Watch-Liberia and partners for initiating the retreat for the incoming lawmakers during the two-day brainstorming session.
"This provides a platform not just for interactions as colleagues of the incoming legislature but for us to always map out ways to do our work in the best interest of the people of Liberia," Representative Jurry indicated, praising the organizers of the retreat.
Harold Aidoo, the Executive Director of Integrity Watch-Liberia, described the retreat as an exciting opportunity to build on the gains of the just-ended general and presidential elections.
"We are proud of what we consider signpost contributions to the history-making events of the national elections in our country," Aidoo said while recounting his institution's role in the polls.
Aidoo hopes that the retreat will stimulate discussions among the lawmakers to push for reforms that will boost the democratic credentials of Liberia.
"We are pleading with our lawmakers to make use of the voting machines to enable the citizens to know how their lawmakers vote on national issues," Aidoo said. He believes that not having a voting system showing how a lawmaker voted on a particular issue will create doubt about the workings of the legislature.
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In brief remarks, the Chief of Party of USAID Election and Democracy Activity, Stephanie Lynn, thanked newly elected lawmakers for gracing the two-day training. Lynn acknowledged the visible enthusiasm that the newly elected lawmakers appear to bring to their job and expressed a desire to start a new chapter with them as they begin representing their various counties and districts.
