As Zuo Demands Results From US$874M Framework
Reported by: Prince Saah
Monrovia, Liberia – Deputy Minister for Economic Management at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), Dehpue Y. Zuo, has challenged the United Nations Country Team and the Government of Liberia to deepen coordination and accountability to ensure development financing produces measurable results for ordinary Liberians.
Speaking Thursday, August 20, 2026, during a UN Country Team partnership dialogue, Deputy Minister Zuo said Liberia’s development resources must be firmly aligned with national priorities, particularly the government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) 2025–2029.
Representing Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, Zuo praised the United Nations for its longstanding support to Liberia, ranging from peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance to post-conflict recovery and development. However, he stressed that the partnership must increasingly focus on national ownership, institutional sustainability, and tangible outcomes.
“Liberia values its long-standing relationship with the United Nations, adding that changing global financing conditions and declining traditional development assistance require more predictable, diversified, and sustainable financing mechanisms,” Zuo said.
According to him, Liberia’s financing architecture must be anchored in national priorities and structured to minimize leakages while mobilizing additional resources for development. He emphasized that financing should particularly benefit women, children, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups, arguing that development success should be measured not by the number of programs, meetings, or presentations, but by implementation and concrete results.
Zuo welcomed the alignment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2026–2030 with Liberia’s AAID but cautioned against the creation of parallel systems that could weaken government institutions. “We expect this conversation to reinforce our national institutions, sector plans, development priorities, and public-sector investment framework, not to establish parallel institutions, but to strengthen complementary ownership and implementation,” he said.
The Deputy Minister also highlighted the indicative US$874 million financing envelope under the UN cooperation framework, urging that the resources be strategically directed toward programs capable of producing significant and measurable development outcomes. He said the MFDP’s Aid Management and Coordination Unit remains critical to tracking external resources and ensuring that development assistance is properly reflected in national planning, budgeting, and investment processes.
Zuo raised concerns over limited government visibility into some interventions implemented by UN agencies and partners, calling for stronger monitoring, reporting, and information-sharing systems. He identified procurement bottlenecks, fragmented implementation, weak coordination, slow recruitment, limited reporting platforms, and implementation delays as challenges that government and development partners must jointly address.
With preparations for the 2027 National Budget underway, Zuo urged UN agencies to clearly identify their priority programs for 2027 and the government coordination mechanisms needed to speed up implementation. He said stronger alignment between UN-supported interventions and the national budget would improve accountability, strengthen resource coordination, and ensure that development financing directly advances Liberia’s priorities.
Meanwhile, Christian Mukosa, Representative of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and Acting UN Resident Coordinator in Liberia, said the cooperation framework must move beyond being merely a policy document and become a practical instrument for delivering results. Mukosa cautioned against turning the review process into another routine reporting exercise, calling instead for an honest assessment of successes, implementation gaps, and corrective actions required.
He stressed that the true measure of the framework’s success will be whether agreed priorities result in better public services, expanded opportunities, and sustainable improvements in the lives of Liberians. Deputy Minister Zuo reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with the UN and other development partners while insisting that resources must be transparently managed, effectively coordinated, and converted into lasting development results.
