Published: August 21, 2026
MONROVIA — The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning has called for tighter oversight, greater transparency and stronger coordination of United Nations-backed development programs, saying hundreds of millions of dollars in external resources must be clearly aligned with Liberia’s priorities and produce measurable results for citizens.
Deputy Finance Minister for Economic Management Dehpue Y. Zuo made the call Thursday during a United Nations Country Team partnership dialogue focused on strengthening collaboration, shared accountability and implementation of Liberia’s national development priorities.
Speaking on behalf of Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, Zuo welcomed the UN’s longstanding support to Liberia but said the partnership must increasingly focus on national ownership, institutional sustainability and tangible development outcomes.
“Liberia values its long-standing relationship with the United Nations,” Zuo said, stressing that cooperation must continue to evolve toward stronger development results.
Zuo highlighted the indicative $874 million financing envelope associated with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2026-2030, saying the resources should be strategically directed toward programs capable of producing significant and measurable results.
He welcomed the alignment of the UN framework with Liberia’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development 2025-2029, describing it as an important foundation for deeper government-UN cooperation.
But amid reductions in traditional development assistance globally, Zuo said Liberia and its partners must pursue more predictable, diversified and sustainable financing.
“The financing architecture in Liberia must be firmly anchored in national priorities, sector stability and mechanisms that minimize leakages as we mobilize more diverse resources to finance our development priorities,” he said.
Zuo said development financing should particularly benefit women, children, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
He argued that the success of partnerships should not be judged by the number of programs, meetings or presentations conducted, but by the quality of implementation and measurable improvements they produce.
Zuo also urged UN agencies to work through and strengthen Liberia’s existing institutions and sector plans instead of establishing parallel implementation structures.
“We expect this conversation to reinforce our national institutions, sector plans, development priorities and public-sector investment framework — not to establish parallel institutions, but to strengthen complementary ownership and implementation,” he said.
The deputy minister raised concerns about limited government visibility over some interventions implemented by UN agencies and partners, calling for improved monitoring, reporting and information-sharing.
He said the MFDP’s Aid Management and Coordination Unit has an important responsibility to track external resources and ensure their alignment with national priorities.
According to Zuo, better coordination would allow the government to properly account for development interventions and incorporate them into national planning, budgeting and public investment processes.
While acknowledging UN contributions to health, education, agriculture, social protection, governance, youth employment, gender equality, climate resilience and peacebuilding, Zuo identified several problems requiring joint attention.
Among them are procurement bottlenecks, fragmented implementation, weak coordination, slow recruitment, limited reporting platforms and implementation delays.
With preparations beginning for the 2027 national budget, Zuo urged the UN Country Team to clearly identify its priority programs for the coming fiscal year and the government coordination mechanisms needed to accelerate implementation.
He said closer alignment between UN-supported programs and the national budget would improve accountability and ensure that external financing directly supports Liberia’s development priorities.
Christian Mukosa, representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and acting UN resident coordinator in Liberia, said the development cooperation framework must become more than a policy document.
He cautioned against turning its review into another routine reporting exercise, calling instead for an honest assessment by the government, UN agencies and development partners of what is working, where gaps remain and what corrective actions are needed.
Mukosa said the ultimate test of the framework will be whether agreed priorities translate into improved public services, expanded opportunities and sustainable development outcomes for Liberians.
Zuo reaffirmed the government’s commitment to its partnership with the United Nations but stressed that development resources must be transparently managed, effectively coordinated and ultimately converted into lasting improvements in the lives of Liberians.
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