Sierra Leone er bloddiamanternes og de grusomme konflikters land med en 11 år lang borgerkrig, der kostede over 50.000 døde, uendelige ødelæggelser og lidelser, mens børnesoldater hærgede og oprørere skar næser og ører af folk. Men….
Nu er der gået 10 år siden krigen sluttede, og selv om den tidl. britiske koloni mellem Guinea og Liberia er et af verdens tre fattigste lande, er fremgangen imponerende, stabiliteten fremherskende, og nu skal der være demokratiske valg i november – både præsidentvalg, parlamentsvalg og lokalvalg.
Det var en glad dansk topdiplomat, Jens Anders Toyberg-Frandzen, der som FNs spydspids i Sierra Leone tirsdag kunne gøre status i New York.
NEW YORK, 11 September 2012: Sierra Leone is making steady progress in rebuilding after a devastating civil war, a leading United Nations official told the Security Council Tuesday, adding that forthcoming elections are an opportunity to further consolidate peace and the achievements of the past decade.
“The successful conduct of elec-tions will demonstrate the maturity of Sierra Leone’s political leadership and institutions, as well as the consolidation of the democratic process in the country,” the Secretary-General’s Executive Representative in Sierra Leone, Jens Anders Toyberg-Frandzen, said in his briefing.
The West African nation is scheduled to hold four elections, namely presidential, parliamentary, local council and mayoral, on 17 November.
Mr. Toyberg-Frandzen, who heads the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL), said major electoral arrangements, with technical assistance from the UN, are on track.
In addition, training of the police and the provision of the necessary logistics are well under way, since providing an enabling security environment for the electoral process will be crucial.
Several of the Western african country’s remaining challenges are long-term in nature and will require sustained investment over a substantial period of time. These include unemployment, especially among young people, corruption, high living costs, and tackling transnational organized crime.
Sierra Leone, whose civil war ended in 2002, was the first country, together with Burundi, to be put on the agenda of the UN Peacebuilding Commission when it was set up in 2006 to prevent post-conflict countries from relapsing back into bloodshed.
30 år i FNs tjeneste
Jens Anders Toyberg-Frandzen was appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to his post in May this year, replacing Michael von der Schulenburg.
Mr. Toyberg‑Frandzen has served as the Acting UN Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative in Yemen and as Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He has over 30 years of senior-level experience working with the UN in Bhutan, Iraq, Nepal and Turkey. He has acquired extensive experience in management and leadership of programmes in development-related areas.
Born in 1950, he holds a master’s degree in business administration from Aarhus University in Denmark. Mr. Toyberg-Frandzen is married.
Tilføjelse U-landsnyt.dk:
Sierra Leone har ca. 5,5 millioner indbyggere og er henved fem gange større end Danmark. Majoriteten er muslimer, men de lever i sjælden harmoni med det kristne mindretal.
Landet er forlenet med kostbare mineraler fra naturens hånd, ikke mindst diamanter.
Se video med Toyberg-Frandzen på
http://unwomenwestafrica.blog.com/2012/06/19/i-woud-like-to-see-women-turn-out-in-force-as-they-participate-in-the-upcoming-elections-says-ersg-jens-anders-toyberg-frandzen-in-sierra-leone
Og opdateret landepapir til Sikkerhedsrådet om Sierra Leone på
Se også kommentaren om Sierra Leone på
http://www.u-landsnyt.dk/blog/105/en-af-de-grimme
Kilde: FNs Nyhedstjeneste
