Sharing the link to the webpage of the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent. Please get involved! http://www.un.org/en/events/africandescentdecade/index.shtml

Launching a declaration on gender and trade.

During its flagship event, the World Export Development Forum in Budapest, Hungary, on 25 to 26 October 2017, the International Trade Center and the Netherlands Government launched the fourth phase of the Netherlands Trust Fund to support Small and Medium Enterprises in Sierra Leone and other developing countries. The Ambassador of Sierra Leone was at the launch.

Trade and Gender. The Ambassador of Sierra Leone is co-chair of the Gender-Trade Impact Group of the Gender Champions in Geneva, which is putting forward this initiative: http://m.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/policy/move-to-introduce-gender-inclusivity-at-wto/article9926442.ece

The Ambassador of Sierra Leone, H.E. Yvette Stevens moderated a panel organized by the Friends of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises at the World Trade Organization. The full proceedings of the full day event, including the videos of the sessions can be found at: https://www.wto.org/english/forums_e/business_e/mismes102017_e.htm

Given the current debate on religious tolerance, I would like to post this video of a dialogue which took place at the Human Rights Council in March 2014. In 2013, I invited the Special Rapporteur on the Freedom of Religion or Belief to visit Sierra Leone to review the state of religious tolerance in he country, that could serve as a good example to other States. In this video, the Special Rapporteur presented his report to the Human Rights Council, after his visit in 2013. You can find the video of his report as well as the response by Amb. Yvette Stevens at URL: http://webtv.un.org/search/clustered-id-sr-on-religion-and-protection-of-human-rights-20th-meeting-25th-regular-session-of-human-rights-council/3326677224001/?term=Special%20Rapporteur%20on%20freedom%20of%20religion%20%20and%20beliefs&sort=date&page=3 Please scroll down the window on the left for the Sierra Leone response. It is 33.07 minutes into the debate.

Still on the subject of the Third Conference of States Parties of the Arms Trade Treaty, please find below the link to the PowerPoint of Ambassador Stevens' Keynote Address on the Relationship between the Arms Trade Treaty and the Sustainable Development Goals: http://thearmstradetreaty.org/images/CSP3_Documents/Statements/CSP3_-_KEYNOTE_ADDRESS_ON_RELATIONSHIP_BETWEEN_ATT_AND_SDGs_final.pdf

Some Pictures from the Arms Trade Treaty Conference

The Third Conference of the States Parties (CSP3) of the Arms Trade Treaty ended on Friday 15 September 2017. Sierra Leone was the elected Vice President to this Conference. The Sierra Leone Delegation, comprising of the Permanent Representative, Ambassador Yvette Stevens and the Deputy Commissioner for Small Arms and Light Weapons, Colonel Saa Sinah participated actively at the Conference. The Sierra Leone Statements can be found at the following links: http://thearmstradetreaty.org/images/CSP3_Documents/Statements/SierraLeone_CSP3_11092017_General_Debate_FINAL.pdf http://thearmstradetreaty.org/images/CSP3_Documents/Statements/Sierra_Leone_Treaty_Implementation_CSP3_12092017.pdf Ambassador Stevens was Keynote Speaker and a Thematic Session on the Relationship between the Arms Trade Treaty and the Sustainable Development Goals. Her presentation will be posted in due course. The final report of the Conferece can be found at: http://thearmstradetreaty.org/images/CSP3_Documents/WG_documents/CSP3_Draft_Final_Report-_15_Sept_2017.pdf

At the Dakar ATT Conference. Sierra Leone Ambassador to Senegal also participated at the conference.

Sierra Leone is serving as Vice President for the Third Conference of the Parties of the Arms Trade Treaty. In this connection, at the invitation of the Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons and the Freiedrich Ebert Stiftung, Ambassador Yvette Stevens was keynote speaker at an International Conference on "Promoting Stakeholder and Parliamentary Dialogue on the Arms Trade Treaty" held in Dakar, Senegal on 13-14 June 2017. A brief report on the meeting can be found at: http://www.parliamentaryforum.org/sites/default/files/final_report_dakar_conference_fes-pfsalw_0.pdf

Swiss Government Assistance to Victims of the mudslide in Sierra Leone http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/landslide-disaster_switzerland-to-send-chf400-000-in-aid-to-sierra-leone/43452878