LECTURE BY: DR SAMURA M W KAMARA MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR SIERRA LEONE at As-Syafi’iyah Islamic University Jakarta, Indonesia, April 25, 2015
• I am very pleased to be in Jakarta and at this university as we commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Asian African Conference, initiated and hosted by the Republic of Indonesia in 1955, and the 10th Anniversary of the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP). Twenty nine newly independent Asian and African nations attended what became known as the BANDUNG Conference in 1955. The Founding Fathers convened to address common challenges and chart their future path - together.
• That was a historic first, which gave rise to what we know today as the Bandung Spirit - a sense of solidarity, shared friendship and cooperation; a desire to find common ground and common purpose; and a commitment to set aside differences and to promote tolerance.
• Since then, when nations have adhered to these principles in both their domestic and diplomatic affairs, they have generally succeeded. And when nations have strayed from them, they have faltered.
• In Sierra Leone, we have seen this firsthand. In fact, our story provides instructive lessons for the legacy of the Bandung Spirit, and how its goals of peace and tolerance remain central today to the path ahead for both our nation and our neighboring countries.
• The Bandung Spirit represents the foundation of South-South and Triangular Cooperation.
Sierra Leone in the 1990s: An Era of Conflict
• While many African nations, including Sierra Leone, did not gain independence until after the first Bandung Conference, the new freedom, aspirations and solidarity we enjoyed were imbued with that
same spirit. Optimism and hope stretched across Africa. While the early challenges of our young nations were daunting, the leaders and citizens were confident that they could succeed.
• Yet with time, the difficulties of governance and stresses on underdeveloped economies took their toll. In the early 1990s, our nation and its neighbors began to lose their footing. Mistrust and greed began to spread through segments of our populations. And then war broke out in our beloved nation, bringing out the worst in some both within and beyond our borders.
• Conflict began with armed opposition to the restoration of multiparty democracy, which had been suspended since 1967. Armed groups objected to their loss of control over the “blood diamond” mines.
• The conflict brought out the worst hatred and criminality in a few Sierra Leoneans and their international backers, but it also inspired strong resilience in the majority of our people who - despite terrible atrocities - resisted and overcame the assaults on their humanity.
• Today, despite recent challenges, we are beginning to demonstrate that we are a prosperous nation, and the fabric of our society has never been stronger. To understand how we achieved this, it is essential to ask and answer three questions about that era of civil strife:
First, how did we end the conflict?
Second, what were the instruments used to promote peace and tolerance? and
Third, how did we maintain stability and economic growth for years to come?
• We could not have stopped the violence without the intervention of our international partners - Nigeria and ECOWASt,he UK.The United Nations intervention in 1999 marked a turning point following the failed cessation of hostilities in 1997. In large part, the Lome Peace Agreement was founded on the fact that international forces could not decisively put down the RUFforces, and so we made serious concessions-notably, pardons for rebel leaders.
• We needed help. In 1999 the United Nations said our country was the poorest in the world.
• However, the world would not continue to stand with us unless we were willing to stand together. The United Nations helped us negotiate the Lome Peace Accord with Foday Sankoh, the brutal leader of the RUF rebels, who was made Vice President and given control of the commission overseeing the diamond mines. In return the RUF demobilized and disarmed.
• We took a leap of faith - we included Sankoh and the rebels in the rebuilding of our country because we needed to ensure that everyone had a stake in Sierra Leone’s future.
• This leap of faith paid off - by ending the violence, we were able to begin building strong bilateral and multilateral international partnerships.
Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration and commission for reconciliation
• We approached our DDRand reconciliation with two ideas in mind.
First, we had to secure our people, their communities, and major cities, and end the violence
Secondly, we had to promote tolerance over the long term.
A Truth and Reconciliation Commission was given a mandate of "creating an impartial historical record” of human rights violations, "to address impunity; to respond to the needs of victims; to promote healing and reconciliation.“ Most importantly, the TRCwas charged with preventing a repetition of the violations and abuses, and its recommendations were legally binding .These talks brought in heavy involvement from our regional neighbours, and friends from many miles away, like the United Kingdom and the U.S.
• In addition, a purpose-driven political, economic and social reconstruction agenda helped us create a foundation for a successful future. Together, our determination to achieve peace, tolerance and economic revitalization restored hope to our people and propelled us forward.
At that time, 700/0of Sierra Leone’s population lived on less than $1 a day, and inflation was rising quickly because of commodity prices and structural adjustment.
Large pledges by international donors were channeled into primarily humanitarian and emergency type interventions and secondarily, into minimal return of state authority, infrastructure investment, rehabilitation projects, basic public services delivery, and economic recovery. Building the software of a new economy: Institution building, Capacity building and Poverty reduction.
• In 2002, the war was officially over and we had our first election free of kidnapping, intimidation or violence.
• The candidates almost universally called for tolerance, and one of them went as far as to say "All ex-combatants who have come forward begging for forgiveness; let us receive them as brothers and sisters.”People ran through the streets saying “Wu teh tehl”: meaning “Everything is plentiful.”
• However, everything was not plentiful. We knew a peaceful election would not have been possible without working with UN peacekeeping forces throughout the nation - numbering up to 18000 and the largest ever.
• Further, in the years following our civil war, Sierra Leone remained dependent on aid from international donors. This was not sustainable, and we understood that maintaining a lasting peace meant addressing the key causes of violence: extreme poverty, lack of infrastructure and unemployment; inequity; exclusion; and insecurity.
• The world was seeing our culture of violence and intimidation disappearing and a culture of mutual respect and tolerance beginning to take shape - it was a signal to the world that, at last, we were ready to rebuild.
• Our Truth and Reconciliation Commission focused on giving people the tools to put the past behind them.
o Public forums gave everyday Sierra Leoneans a voice and a platform to confront the legacy of the conflict and how it affected their families and communities.
o The government listened and worked hard to implement the reforms it heard from the people.
o UNICEF,the Campaign for Good Governance and the National Forum for Human Rights helped us promote the work of the commission; to disclose political, social and economic wrongs.
• We also worked with the United Nations to establish an integrated office in Sierra Leone in 2006 after UNAMSIL pulled out to support the government in consolidating the gains to peace, security and democracy of the past four years.
• Simultaneously, we worked with the International Monetary Fund to craft the “Poverty Reduction Strategy,” an economic program aimed at restoring macroeconomic stability, and strengthening social mobility by addressing food security and job growth. We advanced the following standards:
o Country-owned, community-owned, stakeholder participation
o Data-driven analysis and assessment
o Comprehensive recognition of the multidimensional nature of poverty and vulnerability;
o Prioritization so that implementation is feasible and impactful o Partnership oriented, involving coordinated participation of bilateral, multilateral, and non-governmental development partners;
o Based on a long-term perspective for poverty reduction; and o Aligned with the Multilateral Development Goals.
• For peace to work, employment must be an option to turn to instead of violence. Economic progress created the institutions that reinforced our peace and reconciliation efforts, and it was on this foundation that we were able to construct our two part comprehensive agenda to build a new Sierra Leone: first, the Agenda for Change (2008-2012); and second, the ongoing Agenda for Prosperity (2013-2017). The overarching object has been to push for vigorous economic growth and human development at the same time.
Agenda for Change :
• Despite our successes, Sierra Leone remained one of the poorest countries in the world. Our infrastructure was ravaged, we had little energy production or delivery capacity, high youth unemployment, high maternal and infant mortality rates, and widespread rural poverty.
• The Agenda for Change initiated by President Koroma reflected our people’s belief that their peacefully elected government can work in partnership with them to improve their social and economic conditions.
• We had to work quickly to restore the biggest drivers of economic growth and human development: agriculture, energy, and transportation infrastructure.
o The National Social Action project rebuilt a national transportation network that was devastated by the civil war.
• It rebuilt 196 kms of access roads and employed 12,000 people by 2009.
• The Road Maintenance Fund Act in 2010 created a fund for roads leading to critical ports.
• International partners helped us complete the Bumbana Hydroelectric Project, connecting provincial towns to the power lines from Bumbana, enhancing our transmission and distribution network.
• We began to tackle poverty by helping farmers market and pre-plant crops. Having global partners share best-in-class agricultural techniques and focused on improvements to rural market infrastructure. We also supported our fishing industry by lifting the ban on fish exports to EU markets, improving commercial fishing infrastructure and implementing modern surveillance technology.
• We institutionalized our belief in inter-religious tolerance and peaceful co-existence. Sierra Leone is proud to be a pluralistic society of many peoples and many faiths. A disabilities act in 2011, enshrined the rights of persons with disabilities in our constitution. We owe support and solidarity to the victims who bear the scars of our civil war, but we also acknowledge that we are strongest when all people can participate in our democracy.
• . Our first election without international supervision in 2012 was a milestone, and it signaled our preparedness to move into a more developmental phase of peace-building.
Agenda for Prosperity:
• With the U.N.integrated office gone, we were left to leave the era of fragility behind to begin a new era of middle-income status growth.
• With the support of the international community and multilateral organizations, we crafted a new agenda for macroeconomic stability that also provided a roadmap for the millennial development goals.
o Sound macroeconomic management o Empowerment of women and youth o Social support for the disadvantaged
o Increased transparency and accountability
• We were determined to root out corruption. The ACC was granted additional powers to pursue corrupt activities. We strengthened the public expenditure tracking survey, ensured meaningful Parliamentary and civil society budget oversight and the creation of both a National Revenue and National Procurement Authority to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of public spending.
• The “Agenda for Change” development program in Sierra Leone helped grow real GDPby a record 5.2% between 2008 and 2012, and reduced the poverty rate by 13% by 2011.
The Ebola Virus Disease and Beyond:
• Tragically, the outbreak and rapid spread of the Ebola crisis beginning May 2014 stalled all this progress and exposed significant gaps in our public health infrastructure, causing 170,000 self-employed workers outside of agriculture to stop working and, among those still working, reduced revenue by 40%.
• These economic consequences, in addition to the health risks, are creating ripple effects through Africa and the world and are a recent example of how - despite all our progress over the past decade - poor coordination off aid delivery can cost lives and lead to serious economic consequences.
• Sierra Leone’s GDPlast year contracted by 23.50/0.
• Addressing this tragedy required regional cooperation, which we were able to accomplish and, in the end, became the “silver lining” of our shared crisis. The presidents of our neighboring countries, Liberia and Guinea, worked together with President Koroma and international partners like the African Development Bank, World Bank, IMF and the UN, setting an important example for regional cooperation and growth.
• The African Development Bank, for example, is coordinating a $300 million grant towards a multilateral post-Ebola recovery program. And it can do more to foster regional integration in areas well beyond public health. From offering technical assistance to serving as a repository for best practices across a wide range of economic and financial disciplines, the African Development Bank has a vital role to play in the future of the continent’s development and growth.
International Cooperation in the Years Ahead:
• So what have we learned from all this, and how can it help other developing nations seeking to advance peace, tolerance and economic prosperity?
o First, ensuring that all have a stake in a nation’s future is critical, especially for those struggling with or coming out of conflict. To the extent possible, inclusivity and reconciliation are essential ingredients to building the strong footing needed to move forward.
o Second, thoughtful and intentional micro- and macro-economic policies are essential in order to ensure that jobs and - with time - increased prosperity are available to all.
o Third, international support and partnership must be available to developing nations, and especially those emerging from conflict. In many cases, the encouragement of those who can provide temporary economic, security and/or humanitarian security guarantees or economic can make all the difference for fragile states that have the will, but not the ability, to make tangible progress.
o And fourth, pursuing regional cooperation and integration is often the most important element to ensuring long-term stability and growth. Having institutions that are present and engaged - like
the African Development Bank - are key in this regar.
• I’ll be the first to admit that the specific lessons we have learned may not be applicable in all cases of post-conflict reconstruction. Nations like Somalia and Mali, where our military now supports U.N.peacekeeping activities, and Yemen have deep-rooted cultural issues that may require other tools to resolve.
• I believe firmly, however, that the principles of our success remain the same the world over: tolerance, inclusivity, and economic empowerment. These are enshrined in the New Deal for fragile countries.
• It took sustained political will and determination over two decades, in the midst of enormous hardship, for Sierra Leone to build these elements into our agenda for the future. Yet in some respects the principles behind them have been part of a longer legacy.
• Two hundred and forty years ago, Freetown was settled by British philanthropists looking for a home for rescued slaves. The ability of Sierra Leoneans to overcome the legacy of slavery and the more recent periods of conflict - to cooperate with each other, with our neighbors, and with the nations we share the world with - is a skill that our people, and many others throughout Africa and Asia, have gained over time, and we are stronger nations for it.
• This quality has come as much through enduring challenges as it has through seizing opportunities. And in many respects it is grounded in the Bandung Spirit that was first articulated here 60 years ago, and that we celebrate today 11
• It is reinforced by our deep rooted religious and cultural tolerance, as well as our hospitality to each other and foreigners alike, irrespective of religious, ethnic or colour differences.
• Religious tolerance has aided the sustenance of ethnic tolerance in the country, for it forms a basis for many common phenomena amongst members of different ethnic groups, from the things they eat, to common words they understand, to inter-marriages. These overlapping features make it easy to find common ground and very difficult for them to fight each other. Every family has instances of a member marrying persons from another ethnic group, thus one’s in-laws, nieces and nephews could belong to another ethnic group. This ethnic tolerance aids travelling to many parts of the country, and provide the basis for people settling everywhere with little hindrance. These bonds have brought not only individuals, but entire communities, towns and cities together - to the extent that Sierra Leoneans see no barrier in religion, language or culture. (some practical cases).
• The fact that Sierra Leone is a bastion of tolerance in its widest dimensions is reassuring, especially as it is aiding inclusive and participatory governance and a fairer distribution of the national wealth.
• I hope we will carry forward that spirit and, together continue to advance the aspirations of our people.
I thank you.
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