By Politico Staff Writer
The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, over the weekend met with President Julius Maada Bio as part of her now concluded visit to Sierra Leone.
Ms Mohamed, whose visit to the country is part of a West Africa wide tour, was at State House to discuss efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and support to COVID–19 socio-economic response and recovery plans, according to a news dispatch from the presidency.
Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh led the visiting UN official to State House. In a statement, he described the visit as an opportunity to witness first-hand the socio-economic progress of the country so far.
Ms Mohamed’s visit lasted for two days, during which she held talks with key government officials. She reportedly described her tour of the region as a solidarity, stating that she wanted to see how the continent was coping as a result of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic that has disrupted development efforts globally.
“These are difficult times. I am happy that education is at the centre of your government’s plans and for the many gains made so far in the health sector. The United Nations will continue to support you in your education drive,” the deputy UN chief was quoted telling President Bio.
She also noted that she was sent by the UN Secretary General to see the quick actions on economic recovery of developing countries like Sierra Leone,
Mohamed’s tour took her to Niger, Mali, Ghana and Nigeria.
She said that she was happy with the way the Sierra Leone government had handled the spread of the virus so far, adding that she was also impressed with the government’s efforts at sustaining the peace in the country, according to the State House release.
President Bio, for his part, welcomed the UN Deputy chief and expressed thanks and appreciation for the commitment demonstrated by the UN Country Team towards Sierra Leone’s development efforts, particularly towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063, which are aligned to the country’s Medium-Term National Development Plan - 2018–2023.
President Bio reiterated government’s “unwavering” support for the UN and its programmes and implementation of the UN reforms in the country, adding that his administration was appreciative of the global efforts by the UN to fight the coronavirus pandemic through the multilateral system and for providing the leadership that was necessary during such health and economic crises.
“Reduced economic activity, revenue losses, budget constraints and huge cost of managing the pandemic have adversely affected efforts to achieve the SDGs aligned to the Medium-Term National Development Plan. Public health institutions need to be strengthened. For progress to be made on issues like health, education, gender equality and climate change on global agendas, we should strive to reduce inequality, violence, injustice and corruption,” the president said.
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