Finance and Development Planning Minister, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, has praised the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) for its consistent partnership and unwavering support to Liberia, from the early development of the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) and the County Development Agenda to the current stages of implementation.
Speaking at the opening of a two-day strategic retreat organized by the UN Country System in Monrovia, Minister Ngafuan acknowledged the UN’s dedication to aligning its strategic priorities with Liberia’s national development framework.
He commended the UNCT for tailoring its country framework to reflect the vision and objectives of the AAID.
“The UN is a partner indeed. From war to peace, the UN has been a strong and dependable ally,” Minister Ngafuan said, emphasizing the critical role the UN has played throughout Liberia’s journey of recovery, stability, and development.
Held under the theme, “United in Action: Building a Resilient Liberia”, the retreat brings together key stakeholders to examine global development trends and evaluate the UN’s cooperation with the Liberian government.
The objective is to establish a paradigm shift that fosters more effective and transformative approaches to development—initiatives that deliver meaningful, measurable impact for Liberians.
Minister Ngafuan called for greater urgency and innovation in financing national development, underscoring the importance of exploring alternative funding mechanisms to fully implement the AAID.
“We must move with speed to ensure that our frameworks and plans are not just well-crafted but also executed on time,” he stated.
He urged all development partners to be more visible and results-driven in delivering projects that directly benefit the people—such as improved roads, water systems, electricity, and human capacity development.
“We don’t just need to be breaking ground for white elephant projects. What we need are real, impactful initiatives that change lives,” he emphasized.
For her part, UN Resident Coordinator Christine Umutoni echoed the Minister’s sentiments, noting the importance of strengthening collaboration and coherence across the UN system.
She emphasized the need for all UN agencies operating in Liberia to reconfigure and realign their programmatic frameworks to better support and implement the AAID.
“This retreat is a unique opportunity to review and adopt unified strategies that promote synergy and deliver results,” said Umutoni.
The two-day engagement is expected to lay the foundation for a reinvigorated partnership between Liberia and the UN system—one that is more responsive to emerging challenges, more aligned with national priorities, and more capable of delivering lasting development outcomes for all Liberians.
