Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield
U.S. Representative to the United Nations
Freetown, Sierra Leone
January 24, 2024
AS DELIVERED
Good afternoon. I can’t tell you, Ambassador, how thrilled I am to be here in Freetown. I actually first visited Sierra Leone in 1978, but I didn’t come to Freetown. So, notice I did say Sierra Leone. I was doing research across the border in Liberia, and I would take weekly trips to the town of Koindu, which was known for its artists and tradecrafts from across Africa. And I still have indigo cloth and a camel throw that I bought many, many years ago. I was at the market this morning and some guy was trying to sell me an indigo cloth and I told him I had one that I bought in 1978 and he said, “Oh that’s an old one.” [Laughter]. You know, 1978 doesn’t seem that long ago to me but I guess it is an old one.
My travels in West Africa inspired in me a love of diplomacy, but particularly a love of Africa. It has taken me around the world, and eventually, to the United Nations, where I now serve as the U.S. Ambassador, and where I have the opportunity to work with Sierra Leone a newly elected member of the Security Council.
Most people think that this job is about high-level meetings and high-stakes negotiations. And it actually is. But my favorite part of this job is meeting with people like the merchants I met today in Big Market or talking to young press people like yourselves, who are doing the job of making sure that the world and that ordinary people are kept informed.
These merchants at Big Market are people who want the same things that all of us do. They want to make a good living and put food on the table for their families, they want to keep their kids healthy, and they want quality schools. And to have a voice in their government, because democracy – democracy is not just a lofty ideal. It is the cornerstone of a free, fair, and prosperous society.
The United States appreciates that the Government of Sierra Leone and opposition leaders have worked together to safeguard and to expand democracy, including through the historic Agreement for National Unity, which provides a pathway towards electoral reform and inter-party dialogue. But more progress is necessary. Much, much more is needed.
The 2023 election made clear real electoral and constitutional reforms are needed for this country to continue on a positive democratic trajectory, so that the voices of all Sierra Leoneans are heard.
So, just as the United States was eager to support the signing of the ANU, we are eager to support its implementation.
So, today, I’m proud to announce that the United States government, through the United States Agency for International Development, plans to invest $1.5 million to support the work of the Electoral Reform Committee.
Namely, this funding will support three key priorities.
The first is technical assistance to the Electoral Reform Process. Because that’s how we ensure progress is sustainable, laying a foundation for elections to come.
The second is funding for international and Sierra Leonean legal analysts. Because they have the expertise needed to support Parliament and political parties in implementing reform.
And the third – the third is helping engage the citizens of Sierra Leone through civil society. Because that’s how we create a process that isn’t just top-down, but truly by the people and for the people. This is their democracy, so they must be aware of and brought into electoral reforms that safeguard it.
Our hope is that technical, legal, and civil society assistance will help Sierra Leone model democracy in a moment that so desperately calls for it. Across West Africa, a number of countries have chosen autocracy over democracy, violence over the rule of law, the interests of the few, over the interests of the many – and often to disastrous effects.
I just visited the Sierra Leone Peace Museum where I saw a placard that was called ‘Causes of War.’ And it was so moving and it was so timely. Upholding free and fair elections, and representative governments, is a matter of utmost urgency.
So, once again, thank you for welcoming me to Sierra Leone today. Thank you for welcoming me to Sierra Leone all those years ago.
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