MoFAIC building, Tower Hill, Freetown, 12th May 2023

The Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation, Professor David Francis has welcomed the newly appointed Country Representative for the United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF), Rudolf Schwenk in his office.

In his address, Professor Francis said the Government of His Excellency the President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, has always maintained an open-door policy for diplomats and development partners.
He commended UNICEF for an excellent working relationship with the Ministry of Basic & Senior Secondary School, the Ministry of Labor, and the Office of the First Lady in promoting girl-child issues.

“Focusing on children and women are key priorities of this government. We have legislated the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment law which seeks to give 30% elective positions to women, 30% appointment positions to women, and 30% private financial access to them.

His Excellency the President Dr. Julius Maada Bio has focused on three pillars of development: Education, health, and agriculture. We have allocated 22% of our GDP towards education and that has translated into 2 million pupils returning to school.
As this government looks forward to working with you, I believe with the continuous support from UN agencies like UNICEF, we can achieve a lot,” Professor Francis added.
He also called on the UNICEF Country Representative to explore the beauty of Sierra Leone by visiting other places outside Freetown.

Professor Francis called on Mr. Schwenk to serve as Sierra Leone’s Goodwill Ambassador as the country seeks to return to the non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (2024/25).

Presenting his Letter of Credence to the Minister, Mr. Schwenk said that, the work of UNICEF cannot be underestimated in any country as it cuts across most of the sectors including health, education, and children’s affairs.

He promised to closely work with government agencies through collaboration on development areas.

For More Inquiries:
Contact the MoFAIC Directorate of Communications
Tower Hill, Freetown
±23276571819