The tenth edition of the EU-Liberia Political Dialogue, hosted in Monrovia by the Liberian government in conjunction with the European Union, has come to a close.
The meeting was held under Article 8 of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement between the EU and African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) States, which enables the establishment of a platform for regular and comprehensive political dialogue.
Ambassador Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemeyah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Ambassador Laurent Delahousse, Head of the European Union Delegation to Liberia, co-chaired the 10th Edition of the EU-Liberia Political Dialogue.
The discussion centered on a number of mutually beneficial topics, including EU-Liberia development collaboration throughout the 2021-2027 cycle, good governance, mutual accountability and transparency, human rights, and foreign policy cooperation on regional and multilateral challenges, among others.
According to a joint press release, this year’s human rights discussion built on the findings of the most recent session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on Liberia, with a focus on the fight against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and the issue of female genital mutilation (FGM), which was suspended by the Traditional Chiefs and Elders of Liberia earlier this year (February 2022) for a three-year period. The Liberian government also informs the EU and its member states of the current legal review in preparation for the death penalty’s legal repeal.
The importance of liberal democracy, international rule of law, and foreign policy were also on the agenda for the gathering. They reiterate their support for the transition processes to return to constitutional democratic order in Guinea, Mali, and Burkina Faso, in conjunction with ECOWAS, and denounce Russia’s armed intervention against Ukraine as a breach of international law.
Members of the Liberian delegation comprised Cabinet members as well as heads of agencies and authorities. Ambassadors and Chargés d’Affaires from the European Union Member States represented in Liberia (France, Sweden, Germany, and Ireland), as well as the Belgian Ambassador to Liberia stationed in Côte d’Ivoire, made up the European Union Delegation.
