By Politico staff writer
The new Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Annadif Khatir Mahamat Salehon on Monday 6th September 2021 paid a courtesy call on President Julius Maada Bio during which he applauded his “ongoing institutional reforms in the country”.
The envoy who took up office on 26 April this year after his appointment on March 26 this year by the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, said he had visited almost all Heads of State in the ECOWAS region since his appointment, to get firsthand information on the political systems.
“My visit is to assess and know the governance successes and challenges and to provide support from the United Nations. The United Nations congratulates you on the abolition of the death penalty and the establishment of the Sexual Offences Courts”, he said.
Among the institutional reforms in the country is the establishment of the country’s first-ever Sexual Offences Model Court to ensure survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence get access to justice in rare time.
In his statement, President Bio welcomed the UN special envoy, saying the institutional reforms he talked about were needed to strengthen democracy in developing nations. He said that was why his government repealed the 55-year-old seditious libel in section of the Public Order Act of 1965 that criminalized free speech and stifled journalism.
He stated that his government had strengthened the sexual offence laws and abolished the death penalty in the country, which reinforced his earlier commitment to the belief in the sanctity of life of every citizen.
”I am very happy to receive you. My government has prioritised Human Capital Development as a tool for development because the most treasured mineral in the country is the people. We are investing in the education of our children because we want them to be productive in the economy. This may seem impossible to many, but it is possible,” he assured.
President Bio said his government had done a lot in the last 3 years and hoped to do more. He therefore called on international partners and credible investors to help him translate his vision into developing Sierra Leone.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online (08/09/21)
