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             I i n t e r n a t i o n a ll                                                                                                                                                                            I n t e r n a t i o n a l
            Permanent	 representative	                                              have the resources to make it a                   has gone on now for 20 years.                                          this is something that people
            to	the	United	Nations.	How	                                             full reality. We are trying very                  So,  there  are  absolutely  no                                        responded  to  immediately
            is	it	to	be	on	the	other	side?                                          hard, but we must remember                        blood  diamonds,  and  there                                           based  upon  our  recent
            It  makes  the  transition  less                                        that this an aspiration overall.                  have  not  been  any  for  20                                          experience with Ebola.
            dramatic for me. I have worked                                          So,   the   global   health                       years. We still have problems                                          I  think  this  is  the  primary
            for  the  United  Nations,  so  I                                       institutions   are   vitally                      with  smuggling,  but  that  is                                        reason  why  we  have  the
            understand  how  the  United                                            important  to  me.  Of  course,                   minimal  in  comparison  to                                            situation   largely   under
            Nations works. I knew people                                            the WTO, certainly the ATT,                       previously.  The  diamond                                              control,  and  then  of  course
            in  Geneva  before  I  came,                                            and the Human Rights Council                      business  is  fairly  organized.                                       the efforts by the government
            but  it  is  different  when  you                                       are  also  very  important,                       The  diamonds  are  officially                                         to make sure that this message
            represent  your  government.                                            and  that’s  my  background.                      certified and shipped out.                                             gets out constantly.
            Your  sense  of  responsibility                                         I  worked  on  transnational                      The diamonds of Sierra Leone
            is  greater,  and  you  feel  a                                         justice  in  Liberia,  when  I                    are very precious because they                                         Q:  What  are  the  priorities
            lot  more  empowered.  It  is                                           was head of the International                     are of extremely high quality –                                        in the foreign policy of your
            a  satisfaction  that  comes   “The primary concern was to fully        Centre   for   Transnational                      much more than those of any   “We offer quite a lot. We have           country?
            from  representing  your  own   entrench press freedom. That was very   Justice,  which  had  an  office                  other  country.  The  value  per   a youthful population, strong       When  the  current  president
            country, your own people. It’s                                          in  Liberia.  Throughout  my                      carat is very high. We started                                         came to power he emphasized
            a lot of responsibility because  important. Now we have succeeded, we   career,  I  have  been  engaged                   to  produce  diamonds  in  the   and healthy. We have a good           economic  diplomacy.  We
            you  are  aware  that  you  are                                         very profoundly with human                        1930s  when  the  country  was                                         need  to  attract  good  foreign
            here  as  a  spokesperson  for   have a new government.”                rights  issues.  So,  human                       under British rule.             environment, rule of law,              investment.  Our  problems
            the government representing                                             rights are very important... In                                                                                          are  many,  and  we  have  to
            over 7 million people. You always have to express the views of   my previous life, I was an activist where human rights were   There  is  a  novel  by  the   investments are protected. We have   deal  with  all  of  them  at  the
            your government. There is nothing about personal ambition,   concerned.                                                   British  author  Ian  Flemming   peace and stability, lots of land,    same time. This is the reason
            whereas in the United Nations this is a primary motivation.                                                               Diamonds are forever that is set                                       why we want to educate our
            Here  the  ambition  is  to  be  a  good  representative  for  your   Q: So what were you fighting for in Sierra Leone?   in Sierra Leone. In those days,          minerals”                     people – so that we can have
            country, working in the country’s interest and be somebody   The primary concern was to fully entrench press freedom.     there was a lot of smuggling,                                          an  educated  work  force,  so
            that can be looked upon as a good face of Sierra Leone. It   That was very important. Now we have succeeded, we have a    and the British brought in the former head of their secret   that foreign investors coming in can get good educated labor,
            is  extremely  important,  and  it  a  very  prestigious  mandate   new government. Under a law dating back to 1965, journalists   services to come and control the smuggling. That’s how Ian   a healthy population, good infrastructure.
            that you have, and I’m extremely grateful to His Excellency   could be jailed if they were writing something that did not   Flemming  wrote  his  book.  Read  it  and  you  will  recognize   This is our primary goal: economic development. We would
            President Julius Maada Bio for appointing me to this exalted   please the government. It was removed from the books only   part of Sierra Leone in it.                    like  long-term  partners  who  make  partnerships  with  our
            position.                                        last week. A lot of our colleagues went to jail because of that                                                          country, with our people.
                                                             law.                                                                     Q:  Your  country  has  gone  through  many  challenges,
            Q:	A	lot	of	diplomats	say	that	they	are	very	busy	when	they	  It was also issues related to women, gender, child raising, and   politically and also with the Ebola crisis. How is the situation   Q: What do you offer?
            are	stationed	in	Geneva.	And	you?                inheritance – all these kinds of issues are rapidly improving            today?                                          We offer quite a lot. We have a youthful population, strong
            It  is  a  very  busy  station.  Geneva  is  the  busiest  diplomatic   now. When I was growing up, these issues were really very   The situation now is stable. A new president was elected in   and  healthy.  We  have  a  good  environment,  rule  of  law,
            station that we have. For example, I’m here as Ambassador   prominent  as  disabling  factors,  particularly  for  women.   April 2018, and he replaced another president. He won by the   investments are protected. We have peace and stability, lots
            to  the  government  of  Switzerland,  Ambassador  to  the   There have been enormous improvements in all these areas     ballot box, and it was a peaceful handover. There have been   of land, minerals…
            World  Trade  Organisation  (WTO)  as  well  as  permanent   since  the  war  ended.  Still,  there  are  gaps,  such  as  in  the   a good level of economic growth and social stability but all
            representative to the United Nations and all the international   representation of women in the government. We have not   this has been challenged by the Covid19 virus. But the virus   Q: Finally, Mr Ambassador, you have been posted in Geneva
            organizations, and we are talking about really major ones.   achieved even the minimal aspirational 30 % representation   situation is largely under control now. The number of cases   for almost two years. From your previous experiences, what
            Apart from the United Nations per se, you have the WHO,   of women in parliament, in government. There is a group of      has not really gone up. There is a problem with community   are the pros and cons here?
            the WTO, the Human Rights Council, UNAIDS, the Global   women called Fifty-Fifty who are fighting for that, and I hope    transmission, but the death rate has been very low, lower than   The pros first. It’s very rewarding working for your country.
            Fund. All these are massively important for a country like   we will succeed in doing that.                               average, and partly because contact tracing, restrictions and   Geneva is one of the international centres of the world, and
            mine, and  you have  to  make sure that  you  represent  your                                                             testing have been fairly efficient. You know that we have a   to be able to speak in these international fora is a great honor
            country in these organizations effectively, which is obviously   Q: Most people do not know much about your country, and   big youth population who are more likely to survive but also   and extremely gratifying. It is the most satisfactory thing in
            not easy. They are all very important.           when you hear about Sierra Leone, the film Blood Diamonds                because of the active steps by the government to make sure   my life to do this on behalf of my country.
                                                             comes to your mind. How is it to live with that cliché?                  that people are quickly isolated.
            Q: Do you have a special organization that is particularly   It is a terrible thing. We are trying to show a different face   We had closed the airport, but now it’s reopened, so, there are   Any  cons?  We  are  a  small  mission,  we  cannot  do  what
            close to your heart?                             to  the  world.  The  war  ended  officially  in  2002.  We  have        flights coming in and out. So, I guess like any other nation, we   bigger  missions  do  and  equally  cover  all  these  important
            Everyone  of  them  are  important,  but  as  we  speak  the   conducted  several  presidential  elections,  had  changes  of   cannot shut down the system because of the Covid19 virus.  organizations. We are trying rectify to that.
            closest one to my heart I’ll have to say is the World Health   government. There is peace, and the country is stable. There
            Organisation.                                    are fewer incidents of violent crime in Sierra Leone than in             Q: Do you think that having had had the Ebola outbreak
                                                             almost any Western society. It is a very peaceful place. We              to  some  extent  “helped  you”  in  this  currently  Covid19
            Q: Why?                                          are open for business, we have a democratic society where                situation?
            Because it is of primary interest to us. You know we have   there is the rule of law, investment is protected, and it’s a very   Yes. I would definitely say so. It definitely has helped with
            gone through Ebola and now this Corona virus pandemic,   welcoming and friendly society.                                  the messaging. The people understood that this is a serious
            and  our  government  places  great  emphasis  on  primary   There  are  still  diamonds,  but  we  were  among  the  first  to   problem, because we had Ebola some years ago. Some of the
            universal health care for everyone. It’s difficult, and we do not   implement  the  Kimberly  Process  Certification  Scheme.  It   protocol of the Ebola such as washing your hands, tidiness…



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