Liberia is a small country on the coast of West Africa. It lies just north of the Equator and shares borders with Sierra Leone, Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire.  It has a tropical climate and is one of the wettest countries in the world, with an average annual rainfall of 5138mm.  (Rainfall in the west of Ireland averages between 1000mm and 1250mm).  Inland, much of the country is rainforest.
With approx 3.4 million inhabitants, Liberia is Africa's oldest republic, but gained notoriety in the 1990s for its long-running, ruinous civil war and its role in the rebellion in neighbouring Sierra Leone.  During the conflict in Liberia, from 1989 to 2003, around 250,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced creating an estimated 750,000 refugees who fled the country and 250,000 internally displaced persons.  The economic and social infrastructure of the country was almost completely destroyed as a result of the protracted conflict.

Following Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s election as President in October 2005, Liberia is at its most stable in many years although enormous challenges remain.  The country is relatively rich in natural resources such as timber, gold, diamonds, and iron ore, and also has extensive rubber plantations.  President Johnson-Sirleaf, the first African female head of state, now strives to ensure the future sustainable and equitable use of these resources to rebuild Liberia’s economy.  This challenge is made harder by the corruption which developed during the civil war and the history of poor public financial management.  Liberia is not currently ranked on the UN Human Development Index.

A United Nations force of some 15,000 soldiers is currently operational in the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).  It is one of the organisation's largest and most expensive peacekeeping operations.  UNMIL manages all aspects of the UN intervention in Liberia, including implementation of the ceasefire agreement and peace process, protection of UN staff, facilities and civilians, support for humanitarian and human rights activities and assisting in national security sector reform.   Irish troops served with UNMIL from November 2003 to May 2007 helping to create an enabling environment for the displaced population to return to their original towns and villages and for stability to return to the region as a whole.

Ireland’s Assistance to Liberia

Irish Aid responded to humanitarian needs in Liberia throughout the conflict.  Since 2003 funding has focused on recovery interventions in parallel with ongoing humanitarian assistance addressing the needs of the post-conflict environment.  In 2007 Irish Aid allocated over €9 million in funding to Liberia.  Activities funded include primary health care, shelter, reintegration and resettlement, gender based violence programmes, food security programmes and good governance and peace building activities.  Partners included UNICEF, Trócaire, Concern, Merlin and the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation.

The Liberia Partners Forum, held in Washington DC in February 2007, noted the progress made by the government of President Johnson-Sirleaf particularly in the areas of economic progress, security sector reform, tackling corruption and building support for rule of law. Liberia’s ongoing humanitarian needs were noted and the forum endorsed the Liberian Government’s interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (i-PRSP).  Donors and partners undertook to better coordinate and harmonize their interventions and to align them with the priorities of the Liberian Government as set out in the i-PRSP, particularly in the areas of health, education, and youth opportunity and social protection.
An Irish Aid Liberia Interim Strategy 2008-2009 is currently being developed and will provide the framework for the development of Irish Aid’s work in the country.