Minister calls for collective efforts from all stakeholders to address the current refugee local integration in Liberia.
Photo Credit: MIA
The Minister of Internal Affairs, Honorable Varney A. Sirleaf has called for collective efforts from all stakeholders to address the current refugee local integration in Liberia.
Minister said a brainstorming section will be called to involve the Government through LRRRC, UNHCR, Ivorian Government, Ivorian Refugees and host communities where the integration is expected to take place.
Honorable Sirleaf, who chairs the Board of the Liberian Refugee Agency was speaking Thursday at the close of a weeklong retreat aimed at finding the best approach towards local integration of Ivorian refugees who have opted to make Liberia their permanent home.
The retreat was organized jointly by the LRRRC and its partner the UNHCR.
Honorable Sirleaf assured that Government remains committed to its decision to provide enabling environment for social, economic and legal frameworks that protect the rights of refugees consistent with laws.
Speaking earlier former Liberia permanent Representative at the UN and former Foreign Affairs Minister Marjon Kamara praised Government and partners for continued leadership among nations towards protecting rights of Refugees.
She recalled that Liberia is the first among many nations to willingly desire to locally integrate Refugees.
For his part, the Acting Head of UNHCR in Liberia Bah Algassimou said Liberia has always been a good example for partnerships towards human Rights protection.
LRRRC Executive Director Honorable Festus Logan disclosed that his Agency organized the retreat in collaboration with the UN Refugees Agency to consolidate a single approach towards the local integration program. Participants included representatives from UNHCR, ECOWAS, African Union, Ivorian Embassy, some members of the Refugee community, the host communities, Liberia Immigration Service, Ministries of Internal Affairs, Finance, Justice, Gender, Health and host LRRRC among others. According to Honorable Logan, statistics show that at least 5,000 of the total 9180 Refugees have so far opted for local integration.