IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 327 
Congratulating President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf for becoming the first demo-
cratically-elected female President of the Republic of Liberia and the 
first female African head of state. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 18, 2005 
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas (for herself, Mr. CONYERS, and Mr. 
HONDA) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on International Relations 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Congratulating President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf for becoming 
the first democratically-elected female President of the 
Republic of Liberia and the first female African head 
of state. 
Whereas Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf won the 2005 presidential 
election in the Republic of Liberia, becoming the first 
democratically-elected female President of the Republic of 
Liberia and the first female African head of state; 
Whereas President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf says she wants ‘‘to 
bring motherly sensitivity and emotion to the presidency’’ 
as a way of healing the wounds of war in Liberia;
•HCON 327 IH 
Whereas Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf was a presidential candidate in 
the 1997 general election in Liberia in which she came 
in second in a field of thirteen; 
Whereas prior to that Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf served for five 
years as Assistant Administrator and Director of the Re-
gional Bureau for Africa of the United Nations Develop-
ment Program with the rank of Assistant Secretary Gen-
eral of the United Nations; 
Whereas in a professional life that has spanned over 35 
years, Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf has been the Minister of Fi-
nance of Liberia, President of the Liberia Bank for De-
velopment and Investment, Vice President of Citicorp, 
Vice President of the HSBC Equator Bank, Senior Loan 
Officer of the World Bank, board member and regional 
representative for West Africa of the Modern Africa 
Growth and Investment Company (MAGIC), founder and 
Chief Executive Officer of the Kormah Development Cor-
poration (KODIC), and founder of Measuagoon, a non- 
profit organization that supports community development 
and education for girls in Liberia; 
Whereas Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf is the recipient of several spe-
cial honors, including the Commander de l’Ordre du 
Mono of Togo (1996), the Ralph Bunche International 
Leadership Award of the United States (1995 and 1996), 
the Franklin D. Roosevelt Freedom of Speech Award of 
the United States (1988), and the Grand Commander of 
the Star of African Redemption of Liberia (1980); 
Whereas Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf was one of seven international 
eminent persons designated by the Organization of Afri-
can Unity (OAU) in 1999 to investigate the Rwanda 
genocide, one of five commission chairs for the Inter-Con-
golese Dialogue (2002), and one of two international ex-
•HCON 327 IH 
perts selected by the United Nations Development Fund 
for Women (UNIFEM) to investigate and report (2002) 
on the effect of conflict on women and women’s roles in 
peace-building; 
Whereas Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf served as the initial chair-
person (2000–2003) of the Open Society Initiative for 
West Africa (OSIWA), is a member of the Soros Founda-
tion Network, and is Visiting Professor of Governance at 
the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Adminis-
tration (GIMPA); 
Whereas Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf was recently selected as an 
independent board member of the Humanitarian Ac-
countability Partnership International (HAP); 
Whereas Liberia, the first independent democratic republic in 
sub-Saharan Africa, was established in 1847 with the 
predominance of descendants of freed people of color who 
had lived in the Americas; 
Whereas the path to Liberia’s nation-building has been a tur-
bulent and uneasy union of people with pervasive dis-
trust, fears, and suspicion; 
Whereas for almost three decades, Liberia has been in the 
grip of brutal dictatorships or ruthless warlords; 
Whereas Liberia reached its nadir in 1980 when Samuel Doe 
overthrew the Americo-Liberian regime and introduced a 
rein of terror; 
Whereas in 1990, Samuel Doe was killed by rebel forces led 
by Charles Taylor and Prince Johnson, two equally ruth-
less warlords; 
Whereas Liberia remained lawless until 1997 when Charles 
Taylor intimidated his compatriots into electing him 
president, but rather than pursue peace and reconstruc-
•HCON 327 IH 
tion, Taylor instigated coups and civil wars in neigh-
boring states; 
Whereas Charles Taylor sold arms in exchange for diamonds 
to Sierra Leone rebels who cut off the limbs, ears, and 
noses of opponents; 
Whereas in 2003, Charles Taylor was forced to resign but 
was granted refuge in Nigeria in spite of an indictment 
for war crimes by the United Nations Special Court for 
Sierra Leone; 
Whereas the forced departure of Charles Taylor from Liberia 
paved the way for the historic election of Ellen Johnson- 
Sirleaf; 
Whereas Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf, with her connections and le-
gitimacy in the world of global finance and capital, 
stands a better chance of leading Liberia to economic re-
covery and international demarginalization; 
Whereas the United States has always demonstrated a special 
responsibility to Liberia because Liberia was established 
by Americans and enjoyed an unusually close relationship 
with the United States until the end of the cold war; and 
Whereas the 2005 presidential election in Liberia has been 
recognized as free, fair, and democratic: Now, therefore, 
be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) congratulates President Ellen Johnson- 
Sirleaf for becoming the first democratically-elected 
female President of the Republic of Liberia and the 
first female African head of state; and
•HCON 327 IH 
(2) commends the people of Liberia for carrying 
out Liberia’s first free, fair, and democratic presi-
dential election and encourages them to continue 
their course toward democracy and free-market eco-
nomics. 
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