UN General Assembly
2013

developmental phase of peacebuilding. It should come as little or no surprise that they were widely acclaimed to be peaceful, free, fair and transparent by the international community. Their successful conduct clearly demonstrates the level that Sierra Leone’s democratic process has attained, an experience we are willing to share with other countries in our subregion and beyond. “Today, Sierra Leone is on the threshold of transformation in its engagement with the Peacebuilding Commission as well as in its socioeconomic development. With support from the Commission and the Peacebuilding Support Office as well as other international and local development partners, Sierra Leone continues to make significant gains in the areas of good governance, human rights, gender equality and the fight against corruption and transnational organized crime. A number of international treaties have been ratified and national legislations enacted to address these challenges, which have the potential to undermine ongoing peacebuilding and peace-consolidation efforts. “Sierra Leone’s vision for transformative and inclusive socioeconomic development was initially encapsulated in my Government’s poverty- reduction strategy, articulated in the ‘Agenda for