My fellow citizens, as we Liberians gather with friends and loved ones to celebrate this holiday season, I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of our President, Her Excellency Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; our Vice President, the Honorable Joseph N. Boakai; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Honorable Olubanke King-Akerele; my wife Dawn; the staff at the Liberian Embassy and in my own name; to wish all of you a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Read The Ambassador's Christmas Message by selecting "Christmas Message " tab above or Click====>>

Welcome to our website

Welcome to the website of the Embassy of the Republic of Liberia in Washington, DC. We are honored to be of assistance to you at this important juncture of our national existence, as we continue the process of ensuring sustainable peace and stability as well as economic growth and development throughout Liberia. We hope that you can easily access detailed information about Liberia and the current travel requirements and regulations regarding our beautiful country. Here you will find general information about Liberia, facts about the Liberian history and commercial opportunities, news, announcments and press releases, consular anTrade d travel assistance, and contact information.

Embassy Plans Trade Mission to Liberia: See Press Release

Ambassador Barnes                                          Gurly  Gibson

The Embassy of Liberia Trade and Investment Office invites you to participate in a Trade Mission to Liberia,  scheduled from January 30, 2010 to February 10, 2010.  The Ambassador, M Nathaniel Barnes , and TIO head,  Consul Gurly Gibson, are expected to accompany visiting investors and businessmen on this trip.  This visit to Liberia  will enable companies to explore business opportunities in Liberia, meet key Government Officials, and Liberian Businesses and facilitate informed business decisions.   Please see details regarding the Trade Mission, including a proposed travel itinerary, hotel and travel information, visa and inoculation details and other pertinent information. See section on Trade Mission to Liberia. ========> 

Trade Mission Registration   See Itinerary

The Trade Mission to Liberia Registration form can be filled right here online, but the following steps must be followed to ensure that we receive your completed registration forms:

1. Click on the "CLICK TO REGISTER" below to retrieve form
2. You must have Adobe Reader 9 installed on your computer to get this form
3. If you do not have Adobe Reader 9, download it from www.adobe.com
4. Completely fill out the form with your information
5. Go to the top right of the form and click save a copy to my documents
6. Use you email to attach and send the saved copy to:
7. gtgibson@liberianembassyus.org or tetagibson2006@yahoo.com
8. Trade Mission to Liberia Registration forms:CLICK TO REGISTER

Important Announcements 

1. "Liberia Investment Newsletter", Vol. 1 No. 1 is ready.  ===> 
2. The Embassy wishes to advise the public that valid visas, passports and travel documents for Liberia, issued in the United States of America, are processed only by the Liberian Embassy in Washington D.C., or the Liberian Consulate in New York. Documents processed elsewhere may not be valid. To verify that your documents have been received or have been processed, please call  the Embassy at (202)723-0437 or the Consulate at (212)687-1025.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's Independence Day Message<<Video>>

Ambassador  Barnes says Happy "26th" to Fellow Liberians. <Read msg>

Liberia and Partners Business Forum held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Boost Private Sector Investment in Liberia, was a huge success. STORY>> 

The Liberian Bureau Of Maritime Affairs, Vienna, VA USA announces recruitment of recent college Grads of Liberian descent for management training program. read ===>>

Liberia's 1.2 Billion Debt No More!

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Washington, April 16:  Liberia, recovering from a 14-year civil war, has slashed its foreign debt by buying back $1.2 billion in outstanding government debt from foreign commercial creditors at a discount of nearly 97 percent of its face value, the steepest discount ever negotiated on developing country commercial debt, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf announced.

In the words of our President,  "We purchased the debt earlier this week at a discount of nearly 97 percent off the face value, the deepest discount ever negotiated on developing country commercial debt. We are pleased that creditors holding 97.5 percent of the claims participated in the operation, one of the highest rates of participation in a sovereign buyback in the last few decades."  You can read the full statement made by the president, click here:>>>>>>

  For more on this story, See "What's Happenning" 

 Secretary Clinton Compliments President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf 

DISPATCHED FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.
OFFICE OF THE PRESS SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT

(Washington, DC-USA): April 22, 2009 – United States Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton has described as exemplary and extraordinary the leadership of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, saying the Liberian leader has made an enormous contribution to the country’s development.  Mrs. Clinton emphasized that the Obama administration is committed to the future of Liberia and to President Johnson Sirleaf’s continuing leadership. Read entire Press Release >>>>
 

SECRETARY CLINTON: Good afternoon. President Sirleaf is someone whom I admire and have a great deal of admiration and affection for. I think her leadership has been exemplary and extraordinary and she has made an enormous contribution already to her country. The relationship between Liberia and the United States, as you know, goes back to the very founding of Liberia. And President Obama and I are very committed to the future of Liberia and to President Sirleaf’s continuing leadership.

She and I have just concluded a productive meeting in which we discussed a number of matters of mutual importance to the people of both our countries. I reiterated our strong commitment to the partnership and friendship that exists between us.

This is a time of both great challenge and opportunity in Liberia. Fourteen years of civil war ended in 2003, and a democratically elected government has been in place since 2006. Reconstruction and development are underway. President Sirleaf and her administration have worked tirelessly over the past three years to ensure that Liberia’s reforms, reconstruction, and development take root and are lasting successes. She and her team are committed to upholding democracy, combating corruption, and responding to the needs of people who were ravaged by war. And so Liberia has become a shining example of a transition successfully accomplished from conflict to post-conflict and democracy.

I especially congratulate President Sirleaf and her government on its successful conclusion last week of negotiations to eliminate approximately $1.2 billion in outstanding private sector debt. The United States is proud to have contributed to this effort through the World Bank’s Debt Reduction Facility.

Since 2007, the United States has given more than $211 million to clear Liberia’s arrears to the International Monetary Fund and the African Development Bank. And we have canceled more than $390 million in bilateral debt claims. And we intend to go beyond the terms of the Paris Debt relief arrangement and cancel 100 percent of Liberia’s remaining debts to us by the time Liberia reaches its completion point under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative.

We are proud to have played a key role in the debt elimination, which as the President just told me, will enable the children of Liberia not to be carrying a debt on their backs they had absolutely nothing to do in creating. We continue to offer strong support for the transformation of Liberia and in the last three years, we’ve committed over $1 billion in bilateral assistance to the country.

Our comprehensive assistance program includes helping Liberians reinvigorate their economy, encouraging private sector growth, improving the delivery of basic services such as health and education, rebuilding vital infrastructure, enhancing governance, extending the rule of law using natural resources in a sustainable manner, and ensuring peace and security. The Millennium Challenge Corporation is working with Liberia to develop a threshold program that will eventually lead to Liberia’s eligibility for additional assistance focused on poverty reduction, sustained economic growth and governance.
It is a great honor and personal privilege for me to welcome President Sirleaf to the State Department. I’m grateful for both her leadership and her friendship, and I’m particularly grateful for how she has never lost sight of her primary mission – to enable the people of her country to live their lives in peace and security, to have a chance to develop to the best of their abilities and raise their children to have even brighter futures. She has also continued to care about women and girls, which means a great deal to me. So it is a real pleasure to have her here, and thank you so much, President Sirleaf.

PRESIDENT SIRLEAF: Secretary Clinton, I am privileged to be here. I want to thank you personally for your tireless effort in advocating for the rights of women, advocating the education of girls, for the inspiring leadership that you have provided, as we try to wrestle with African development issues.

As you know, Liberia is recovering from 14 years of conflict, a period before that, in which there was neglect and little effort made to use our country’s resources for the development of the people. As a result, this – when we took over, we faced a collapsed economy, destroyed infrastructure, many young people who only knew war and want.

But we’re glad today that we have the opportunity to rebuild. We formulated our poverty reduction strategy, attempting to get our security sector reformed and functioning one again, rebuilding our economy. We always say Liberia is not a poor country; it’s just a country that’s been poorly managed. And so with our natural resources, we can open the economy, mineral, forestry, fishery, agriculture. We can then put our people back to work. We’re trying to open our – get – fix our infrastructure, get the roads built and the schools rebuilt and the clinics and the hospitals. One of the greatest joy I have is to see our children in their uniforms once again with their book bags on their back, you know, skipping as they go to school – created other problems, not enough schools, not enough teachers, not enough teaching material. But at least that process has started.

I want to thank the United States Government. The bipartisan support that we have received that have provided us the assistance that enable us today to say we’re well on the road from being a failed state, as characterized a couple of years ago, to what we hope will be a transformation into a post-conflict success story. I can just ask that we will continue to get the support from you, from President Obama, from this Administration, and from the Congress to enable us to achieve that objective. We know that we have to have primary responsibility for our development that we have to be accountable to our people in the proper use of our resources that you have to get a return on the investment that you make in our peace, in our development, and that we have to get the results that we all seek.

I can only say to you on behalf of the Liberian people that where we are today, we are well committed to achieving those goals, and want to thank all that you’ve done to get us to this point of progress. Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, Madame President.
 

 Greetings From  Ambassador  M Nathaniel Barnes

 Press Release

Ambassador M. Nathaniel Barnes is calling on all Heads/Leaders of county associations to meet with him on Saturday, May 2, 2009 at 11:00 A.M. at the Chancery to formally discuss this unique and exciting event for this year’s July  26th Independence Day Celebration.  Please call the Embassy (202) 723-0437 ext. 115 with any questions and/or comments. See "What's Happenning"
 

Affiliated  Websites

• Executive Mansion
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Liberia's Permanent Mission To U.N
• Truth And Reconciliation Commission
• Ministry of Information
• Central Bank of Liberia
• Ministry of Finance
• University Of Liberia
• Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS)
• National Investment Commission
• US Embassy-Monrovia

   

The Embassy of Liberia in Washington D.C.
5201 16th. Street, NW
Washington DC, 20011
Tel: (202) 723-0437
Fax: (202) 723-0436

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