Remarks of the Resident Coordinator at the official launch of the celebrations of the 25th Anniversary of World Vision International in Sierra Leone.

Your Excellency, the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone

The Honourable Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone,

The First Lady of Sierra Leone,

Honourable Ministers of Government,

Our revered Paramount Chiefs,

The National Director, World Vision International Sierra Leone,

Members of the Diplomatic Corps,

Staff and friends of World Vision International Sierra Leone,

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

Twenty-five years after World Vision International started its operations in Sierra Leone, it continues to set an ambitious standard of service to the country -- especially the children of Sierra Leone. 

According to the organization’s annual Impact Report, the year 2021 marked the first year of a 5-year strategy that seeks to advance the well-being of more than 1.7 million of the most vulnerable children in eight districts of Sierra Leone.  This laudable effort, which speaks to both the country’s Medium-Term National Development Plan and our United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, is not only on the eve of World Vision’s 25th year anniversary in Sierra Leone but also notwithstanding the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequential socio-economic and health impacts.

It is for this reason that as UN Resident Coordinator, I stand here this morning in recognition and admiration of the long-term presence of World Vision’s support to the country’s development trajectory, especially during its most challenging periods.

On behalf of the United Nations, please permit me to highlight some areas of collaboration between World Vision and the UN on important humanitarian and development activities, both globally and here in Sierra Leone.

Globally, World Vision has been a steadfast partner of UN humanitarian aid programs, working as a key implementing partner with UNICEF, the UN High Commission for Refugees, and the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.  This was during humanitarian crises in places such as Lebanon, South Sudan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Iraq.   While most support was for general emergency response, the assistance also extended to critical programs in water and sanitation, nutrition, education, child protection, maternal and child health, and COVID-19 response.   In fiscal year 2020 alone, the global support amounted to more than USD 126 million. 

In Sierra Leone, collaborations between World Vision and the UN Country Team over the years have also been diverse.  They include:

• Cooperation with the World Food Programme on Nutrition and Food Assistance, including emergency response and assistance during the time of Ebola, integrated school feeding, and livelihood development.
• Partnering with UNICEF to advance Education and Life Skills, Child Protection for Out-of-School Children Bo, Bonthe, Moyamba and Pujehun Districts, as well as for Care and Protection of Children Affected by Ebola. 
• Partnering with UNDP for a Livelihood Recovery program to support economic development during the post-Ebola period.
• Collaborating with the Food and Agriculture Organization for the commercialization of smallholder farmer operations.

On these critical development issues, the UN and World Vision share a resounding commitment, notably around nutrition and food security, the wellbeing of children, and access to WASH services. The United Nations' work on these issues in Sierra Leone is highlighted in our recently published 2021 Annual Results Report.

One of the four Outcome Areas under the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2020-2023) is ‘Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Security, and Climate Resilience’, under which the UN provided technical and financial support to the finalization of the National School Feeding Policy enacted in May 2021.  Also, in 2021, the UN provided nutrition support to ten districts with a high prevalence of food insecurity and acute malnutrition rates.

Another Outcome Area under the UN Cooperation Framework is on ‘Protection and Empowerment of the Most Vulnerable.’  Here, we supported: the incorporation of child protection and child justice topics in the Sierra Leone Police Academy’s recruitment and in-service training curricula: improved harmonized training for social workers and child protection practitioners: and supported system management for the country’s Child Protection Information Management System.

Finally, under the Outcome Area on ‘Access to Basic Services, the UN provided access to Water, Sanitation and Health facilities at 38 schools, in addition to upgrading 51 health care facilities through the construction of solar-powered water supply, gender-segregated toilets, shower blocks, and health care waste management systems.  We also helped strengthen policy and institutional frameworks and enable real-time data to plan and scale up WASH service access.

Our work on these issues is only possible through partnerships with committed and experienced partners like World Vision. These partnerships demonstrate that Sierra Leone’s realization of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals will only be possible through a whole-of-society approach that engages multiple stakeholders. 

The 17 Goals outline a vision of sustainable development that balances economic, social, and environmental objectives.  I think we can all agree that this balance is vital to secure a peaceful and prosperous future for Sierra Leone’s children, in keeping with today’s theme of ‘25 years of Transforming Children’s lives in Sierra Leone.’ This theme encourages us all to pause and ask ourselves, ‘What can we commit to do today to ensure that every child in Sierra Leone has a bright future ahead?’

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

In closing, let me again express how honoured I am to join in this occasion and to salute all the dedicated professionals of the World Vision country team who have served the people of Sierra Leone steadily throughout the past 25 years.  May you continue to flourish as an organization, and may your reach extend to even more Sierra Leoneans in the next 25 years.

I thank you.