In a speech to world leaders, President George M. Weah has called for the strengthening of democracy and “protecting against” authoritarianism. The fight against corruption, he said, and the promotion of freedom and human rights, are crucial to the maintenance of democracy.
The Liberian leader was speaking at the ongoing Summit on Democracy being hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden. The gathering brings together world leaders, civil society and the private sector in a virtual setting to deliberate on the challenges facing democratic institutions and ponder on what can be done to strengthen the foundations of democracy.
“In this regard, my government commits to fighting corruption at the highest level; we will seek legislative approval to amend the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission Act to grant that institution direct prosecutorial powers,” President Weah said. He also announced the creation of a dedicated court for the “prosecution and conviction” of public officials and other individuals and institutions engaged in corrupt practices and financial offenses.
He used the occasion to enumerate some of the progress being made on empowering women and achieving gender equality. “To ensure the protection of women, girls and other vulnerable citizens from rape and other forms of sexual and gender base violence, I declared rape a national emergency in 2019 and set up a national steering committee that formulated the national action plan on women, peace and security”.
The President told the gathering that his administration has initiated talks with traditional leaders to end all forms of harmful traditional practices, including Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). He said he will “shortly” be forwarding an anti-FGM bill for passage to National Legislature. Liberia was invited to the two-day summit because of the country’s “consistent commitment to non-violent, free and fair elections”, U.S. Ambassador Michael McCarthy said last month. President Weah reaffirmed this position, stating that as the country prepares for the upcoming general and presidential elections, “the time is now to assure the citizenry of government’s commitment to freeness, fairness, transparency and accountability in elections funding, budgeting and processes”. He said the participation of more women in the electoral process will be a “top priority”.