The United Nations in Liberia

Monrovia, Liberia, 16 May, 2012 - In fulfilment of a promise made during the Ivorian refugee influx into Liberia more than a year ago, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has donated six brand new vehicles, including two ambulances and four Toyota LC 200 Land Cruisers, to Liberia’s border counties hosting Ivorian refugees.

Monrovia, April 20, 2012– The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Liberia and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) are “deeply concerned about climate change and its associated impact on the agricultural sector of Liberia and West Africa at large.”

Speaking at the start of a three-day Agrometeorological training of trainers (ToT) seminar in Monrovia, FAO Liberia’s Country Representative Mr Jean-Alexandre Scaglia said collecting and analysing meteorological data was becoming more critical to the agricultural sector of Liberia. He emphasized the urgent need for instruments to be put in place to assist Liberian farmers to access and use relevant meteorological data. He then reminded participants that the Agrometeorological training was the beginning of a long process in  which all stakeholders would exert concerted efforts in mitigating the effects of climate change for Liberia.

MONROVIA, April 17, 2012 – Liberia’s economy loses 17.5 million US dollars (2.0 percent of GDP) each year due to poor sanitation, according to a new report released by the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Program (WSP).

The desk study, Economic Impacts of Poor Sanitation in Africa - Liberia, found that the majority (48 percent) of these costs come from the annual premature death of 3,000 Liberians from diarrheal disease, including 1,800 children under the age of 5, nearly 90 percent of which is directly attributable to poor water, sanitation, and hygiene.

Health-related costs accounted for about 40.6 percent of the total economic costs, while access time and productivity losses accounted for about 11.3 percent.

Nimba County, Liberia, 11 April 2012– Residents in Zoe-Geh District had every reason to smile on Tuesday 10 April 2012, as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) donated a wide range of medical equipment to the Bahn Health Centre in Liberia’s north-central Nimba County.

The items included 20 hospital beds, 20 mattresses and bed linens, a binocular microscope and laboratory accessories, as well as sterilization equipment, amongst others. The equipment will be used for outpatient and inpatient departments, maternal and child health department, laboratory services, sterilization, and emergency care.

23 March 2012. Monrovia. UN Women and the Ministry of Gender and  Development  collaborated with Barefoot College of Indian to train illiterate rural grandmothers in solar technology enabling them to fabricate, install and maintain the solar lighting systems in their own villages.

In July 2011, UN Women, the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Gender and Development,  and Barefoot College of India facilitated the process of selecting eight illiterate rural women from Rural Montserrado,  Grand Bassa,  Grand Cape Mount and Lofa Counties.  The women traveled to India in September  2011 and have spent the last six months receiving training from Barefoot College to become solar engineers.