President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has held talks with the Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Her Excellency Ms. Helen Clark.

Madam Clark was accompanied by representatives of the African Development Bank, European Union and the UNDP Monrovia Office. She is also a former Prime Minister of New Zealand.

According to an Executive Mansion release, during the meeting held at her temporary office at the Foreign Ministry on Monday, February 16, 2015, President Sirleaf welcomed the UNDP Administrator to Liberia and commended the UN organization for its role in Liberia’s fight against the deadly Ebola virus disease and for its initial thoughts on plans for the post-Ebola period.

She informed the visiting UN official of the Government’s planned interventions and programs such as the roads to health concept, training, re-deployment of Ebola workers to healthcare institutions, transitioning from treatment centers to restored health centers, etc.

“The Agenda for Transformation remains the key development plan, but many of the variables have changed due to the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease. Structural changes are now required to address the new variables that have emerged,” President Sirleaf told the visiting UNDP Administrator.

She stressed the need to revisit UNDP’s support to previous support programs such as the TOKEN and Senior Executive Service (SES) which will bring in the needed expertise required to overcome the effects of the Ebola virus disease as the country transitions into the post-Ebola period, as well as support to the President’s Delivery Unit at the Executive Mansion.

“We are already focused on the post-Ebola period at the level of the Mano River Union (MRU) that is now collating the plan of individual countries into a single plan to be advanced at the upcoming Brussels Meeting.

Concluding, she emphasized the need for mutual accountability of resources made available for the Ebola crisis and other development programs. 

For her part, Madam Clark informed President Sirleaf that she was in Liberia to show solidarity with the Government and people of Liberia and to work with the UN team in the conduct of an Early Recovery Assessment in preparation for the post-Ebola period.

She pointed out that the upcoming Brussels conference for the three affected countries is an opportunity to keep the three countries on the front burner of the international community. She acknowledged that the communique of the weekend’s Mano River Union Meeting was a good start towards a common plan for the Brussels Conference.

“Liberia’s reform process is already being rolled up with processes such as the Constitution Reform and the ongoing decentralization process. The opportunity now exists for other sectors such as health, education, agriculture, and others,” Madam Clark indicated.

The UNDP Administrator further acknowledged the Social Protection Program for vulnerable families and others such as the village savings and loan programs which are impacting the lives of women and other vulnerable groups. 

She said the Agenda for Transformation is a long-term plan, but a lot of quick impact interventions can be drawn from within for the short-term that will affect and impact lives almost immediately and pledged the UNDP’s support to the country’s restoration process.

Madam Clark later joined Foreign Minister Augustine Ngafuan at a special press stakeout in the foyer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to highlight the outcome of the visit.