Thomson Reuters Hosts Newsmaker with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

President Sirleaf to discuss Liberia's continuing journey from poverty to prosperity

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May 09, 2013, 05:00 ET

WASHINGTON, May 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- At a Thomson Reuters Newsmaker to be held on Friday, May 17, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first female head of state for an African nation and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, will discuss her administration's development goals and the challenging road moving from civil conflict to sustained peace and prosperity.

Journalists interested in attending the event should contact Christopher Barlow by calling: +1 202-756-0608 or emailing [email protected]. To view a live stream of the event, visit http://reut.rs/ZvMm8V at 2:30 p.m. EDT, Friday, May 17.

Axel Threlfall, Reuters presenter, will lead the discussion with President Sirleaf and explore the lasting impact of the civil unrest that occurred from 1989 to 1996 and from 1999 to 2003 and how, in her second term, she intends to deliver stability, security and growth.

Held in Washington, D.C., the Newsmaker will gather representatives from governments, non-government organizations, the private sector, and the international development community to hear President Sirleaf's perspective on land rights and land tenure security.

The interview also will address Liberia's approach to food security, energy production, and human capacity development — and how nations with similar development objectives can learn from them.

This Newsmaker is scheduled at a pivotal time following the concluding recommendations of the U.N. Secretariat's High-Level Panel on the post 2015 Global Development Framework agenda. On May 14 and 15, President Sirleaf alongside her panel co-chairs, Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, will review the panel's final report which is to be presented to the U.N. Secretary-General on May 31.

Under President Sirleaf, Liberia has instigated a land reform and institution modernization project. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with funding from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), has supported this effort through the Liberian Land Policy and Institutional Support project.

"Recording and mapping land rights has become a critical element in creating a secure and sustainable Liberia," says Brian Peccarelli, president of the Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters. "I am anxious to hear President Sirleaf's ideas on how securing basic information of land and property rights is setting the foundation for sustained peace, growth, and wealth generation for her country."

Thomson Reuters is a technology partner of MCC and USAID in their support of the Liberian government's land reform project.

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