Mr. Vice President and President of the Senate;
Mr. Speaker;
Mr. President Pro Tempore;
Honorable Members of the Legislature;
Associate Justices of the Supreme Court and Members of the Judiciary;
Members of the Cabinet and other Government Officials;
Mr. Doyen, Excellencies and Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
Her Excellency the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Liberia;
Officers and Staff of the United Nations Mission in Liberia;
The Command-Officer-in-Charge, Men and Women of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL);
Former President and Mrs. Moses Blah;
Former Chairman of the National Transitional Government Mr. Gyude Bryant; 
Former Government Officials;
Traditional Leaders, Chiefs and Elders;
Political and Business Leaders;
Officers and Members of the National Bar Association;
Labor and Trade Unions;
Youth and Student Organizations;
Civil Society Organizations; Members of the Press;
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen; Fellow Liberians:

INTRODUCTION
In obedience to the Constitution of our Republic, I have the honor, for the fifth time, to report to you on the state of our nation. First, in homage to God Almighty, by whose Supreme Will we are guided, and to the memory of the cherished Liberian leaders and citizens who have passed from this life, I ask that you join me in observing a moment of silence.

Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members of the Legislature: While carrying out fully my constitutional responsibility, for this year’s Annual Message, I have decided to do things a bit different. You will receive a longer, detailed version of the Message to this Honorable Body – almost 80 pages – which you can peruse at your leisure, and which your staff can download from the Executive Mansion Website. In the interest of time, I will present a more concise statement, in which I highlight the major policies and achievements of this Administration. I will also address some of the challenges and pressing issues confronting the nation, as we chart the way forward.

LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

Honorable Legislators, let me express my thanks and appreciation for the spirit of cooperation that exists between the Executive Branch and this Honorable Body, as we join forces in bringing peace and prosperity to our nation and our people.

We commend you for enacting into law several pieces of legislation significant to achieving our development goals under the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS). We are pleased to state that out of 26 legislative instruments submitted by my Office to your Honorable Body during its Fourth Session of the 52nd Legislature, 21 have been enacted into law, and 5 are being deliberated in Committee Rooms. We are also pleased to recall that 10 pieces of legislation submitted to this Honorable Body in previous years were also enacted into law, for a total of 31 pieces of legislation enacted into law during the period under review. Several of them, significant to our PRS program, include: An Act to establish the Land Commission; the Public Finance Management Act; An Act to establish the Liberia Airport Authority; the Amendment to the Independent National Commission on Human Rights Act; and an Act Establishing the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI). Again, I express my sincere appreciation for your cooperation as these laws are putting in place a framework for our future prosperity.

Honorable Legislators, we ask your usual cooperation for the enactment of proposed pieces of legislation still pending before you, which have significant implications for the achievement of our goal of national renewal and for the protection of our people. These include: the Investment Incentive Act of 2009; the International Convention against Doping in Sports; three Mineral Development Agreements between the Government of Liberia and AmLib United Minerals for operations in Rivercess, Grand Gedeh and Montserrado Counties; the Code of Conduct for Public Servants; and an Act to Amend Title 2, Criminal Procedure Law, as enshrined in Volume 1 of the Liberian Code of Law Revised.

As we move into the Fifth Session of this 52nd Legislature and the fifth year of this Administration, let us endeavor to keep the path to our development agenda steady, in the interest of our people. In this vein, we will be submitting to your Honorable Body, for enactment, several proposed laws intended to enhance the progress and tackle the challenges under the Poverty Reduction Strategy. These include: An Act Amending the Public Procurement and Concessions Act of 2005 which will to harmonize the New Mining and Mineral Law and Petroleum Law with the PPCA; An Act to Create the National Bureau of Concessions; the Liberian Law Reform Commission Act; the National Security Reform & Intelligence Act; An Act to amend Sub-chapter C of the Domestic Relation Law of Liberia 1956 & 1976 relating to Adoption; the National Insurance Commission Act; and the Amendment to the Insurance Act of 1973.

Others Concession Agreements that will be finally concluded and submitted for your ratification are: Putu Iron Ore Mining Ltd.; BHP Billiton Iron Ore; Elenilto Minerals and Mining Ltd. for the Western Cluster; and the 2nd Amendment to the China Union (Hong Kong) Mining Co., Ltd. and China Union Investment (Liberia) Bong Mines Co. Ltd. 

I will also submit to your Honorable Body, for consideration and enactment, an Act to amend the Act providing for Retirement Pensions for the President & Vice President, the Speaker & Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the Liberian Senate & Members of the National Legislature, the Chief Justice & Associate Justices of the Supreme Court and Judges of Subordinate Courts of Record, Cabinet Ministers, Deputy & Assistant Ministers, Members of Autonomous Commissions, Ambassadors and other Senior Officials of Government, including Superintendents of Counties; and legislations to Repeal Moribund State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs).

During your period of recess, we issued 5 Executive Orders in the interest of the public to meet emergencies or to correct particular situations: Executive Order No.18, represented an extension of Executive Order No. 7, on the Establishment of Liberia Macroeconomic Policy Analysis Capacity Building Project (LIMPAC);  Executive Order No. 19, provided for an extension of Executive Order No. 11 on Suspension of Tariff on Rice; Executive Order No. 20, established a Law Reform Commission; Executive Order No. 21, amended Executive Order No. 20; and Executive Order No. 22, provides for the protection of Whistleblowers.




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