[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 907 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 907
Reaffirming our commitment to support progress toward transparency,
accountable institutions, and other tenets of good governance in the
Republic of Liberia as it approaches the bicentennial of the arrival of
the first free Black Americans to Providence Island, Liberia.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 4, 2022
Mr. Meeks (for himself, Ms. Bass, Mr. McCaul, and Mr. Smith of New
Jersey) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Reaffirming our commitment to support progress toward transparency,
accountable institutions, and other tenets of good governance in the
Republic of Liberia as it approaches the bicentennial of the arrival of
the first free Black Americans to Providence Island, Liberia.
Whereas, on January 7, 1822, free Black Americans arrived in present-day Liberia
through the efforts of the American Society for Colonizing the Free
People of Color of the United States, also known as the American
Colonization Society, established in 1816 to fund the passage of free
Black Americans to West Africa;
Whereas, in 1847, the free Black Americans declared independence from the
American Colonization Society and founded the Republic of Liberia, the
first independent African republic, and established diplomatic relations
with the United States in 1864 that have endured for more than 150
years;
Whereas United States interests in Liberia's natural resources and Liberia's
strategic location in West Africa resulted in enhanced bilateral
cooperation with the United States and prompted the United States and
Liberia to sign a defense cooperation agreement in 1942 and subsequent
agreements that facilitated strategic infrastructure development in
Monrovia and enhanced United States-Liberia defense cooperation
thereafter;
Whereas, in 1944, Liberia declared war against Germany and Japan, further
reinforcing Liberia's commitment to support the United States and the
Allies in World War II;
Whereas, from 1980 to 2003, Liberia's democracy was undermined by a coup d'etat,
corruption, mass atrocities such as rape, torture, and forced
disappearances, and two civil wars that left at least 250,000 people
dead, tens of thousands maimed, hundreds of thousands displaced, and
thousands of former child soldiers seeking rehabilitation and
reintegration for physical and mental trauma;
Whereas Liberia, with United States support for democracy, governance, and
anticorruption initiatives, emerged from decades of civil war in 2003
and worked to rehabilitate the democratic process through successive
free and fair elections ever since;
Whereas, in 2016, the United Nations Security Council voted to end sanctions and
an arms embargo on Liberia, citing substantial progress on postconflict
stabilization;
Whereas the United States acknowledges ongoing efforts to address government
corruption and other critical reforms in Liberia and will continue to
work with the Liberian Government to advance the objectives of the
Liberian Anti-Corruption Commission and other anticorruption agencies
and goals underpinning Liberia's participation in the Summit for
Democracies in December 2021;
Whereas the United States remains the largest and longest bilateral donor to the
Republic of Liberia, allocating more than $3,000,000,000 in multiagency
assistance since 2003 to support stabilization, economic recovery,
development, and global health, including support for Liberia's response
to the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,
during which the United States has worked with partners to donate nearly
900,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses;
Whereas the United States has demonstrated its commitment to bolster bilateral
relations through continued sessions of the U.S.-Liberia Partnership
Dialogue, Liberia's ongoing participation in the House Democracy
Partnership, and related initiatives;
Whereas Liberia remains a beneficiary of United States trade preferences through
the African Growth and Opportunity Act and the 2007 Trade and Investment
Framework Agreement, both of which affirm the importance of open and
diversified trade and investment between the United States and Liberia;
and
Whereas the Liberian people and the Liberian diaspora have contributed
significantly to the United States and Liberia and reaffirm the
longstanding transatlantic ties between the two nations, which will be
underscored by the Republic of Liberia's bicentennial celebration: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) remains committed to nurturing the enduring ties
between the people and the Governments of the United States and
Liberia, including through the provision of United States
support for a strong civil society, reputable and accountable
institutions, transparency, and other tenets of good governance
that should help lay a solid foundation for Presidential
elections in 2023;
(2) encourages Liberia to redouble its efforts to counter
corruption, advance the causes of human rights, and implement
critical economic reforms necessary to accelerate sustainable
economic growth and human capital development;
(3) calls on the Departments of State and the Treasury to
continue to impose targeted sanctions and other measures
against those responsible for undermining the rule of law as
well as the faith and trust of the Liberian people through the
conduct of corruption, gross violations of human rights, and
other acts that threaten the peace and security of Liberia;
(4) recalls the historical significance of Liberia's
bicentennial anniversary as the country continues to build a
vibrant and inclusive democracy; and
(5) supports the continuing efforts of the Liberian
diaspora in the United States and their substantial
contributions to robust transatlantic dialogue, engagement, and
transformational initiatives that advance democratic principles
in Liberia.
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