Countries / Sierra Leone / Dossier
Sierra Leone
A combined view of Sierra Leone's UN General Assembly speeches, treaty commitments, and voting record.
The narrative paragraphs below are AI-generated syntheses of the data shown — the tables and figures themselves come directly from the underlying records, not from the AI.
Compare with another country →Speech history
Sierra Leone's General Assembly rhetoric has shifted markedly toward reinvigorated multilateralism and institutional reform over the 15-year period, with a sustained focus on Security Council reform and African representation. Early speeches (2010–2013) emphasized national progress reporting paired with procedural calls for UN reform, maintaining consistent multilateralism scores around 78 but with low emotional intensity. The 2014 Ebola address marked a turning point, injecting urgency and emotional passion (78/100) while framing the crisis as a shared global responsibility; this catalyst period established a pattern of blending concrete national commitments with urgent appeals for collective action. Recent speeches (2021–2025) show the highest multilateralism scores (87–91) and renewed emotional intensity (66–78), grounded in peacekeeping history and regional leadership, suggesting Sierra Leone has moved from cautious multilateral advocacy toward impassioned calls for systemic institutional change.
| Session | Multilateralism | Emotional intensity | Concreteness | Self-accountability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | High | Low | High | High |
| 2011 | High | High | Medium | High |
| 2012 | High | Low | Medium | High |
| 2013 | High | Low | Medium | Medium |
| 2014 | Very High | High | High | High |
| 2015 | High | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| 2016 | Very High | High | High | Medium |
| 2017 | High | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| 2018 | High | Medium | High | Medium |
| 2019 | High | Medium | High | High |
| 2021 | Very High | Medium | High | High |
| 2022 | Very High | Low | Medium | Medium |
| 2023 | High | High | High | High |
| 2024 | Very High | High | Medium | High |
| 2025 | Very High | High | High | Medium |
Treaty status
Full treaty record →Sierra Leone demonstrates comprehensive and near-universal treaty engagement, having ratified all 24 tracked instruments. The country shows particular depth in environmental commitments, ratifying 10 environmental treaties spanning climate change, chemical safety, and desertification—a portfolio reflecting both individual vulnerability and regional priorities for a West African nation. Arms control ratifications, including the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the landmine ban, align with Sierra Leone's post-conflict peacebuilding identity. The country's complete ratification of human rights instruments (5 major conventions) and participation in international justice (Rome Statute) and trade governance frameworks underscore a consistent institutional integration strategy with no notable treaty withdrawals or selective abstentions.
Arms control & security
- Arms Trade TreatyRatified
- Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban TreatyRatified
- Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their DestructionRatified
- Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear WeaponsRatified
Environment & climate
- Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their DisposalRatified
- Convention on Biological DiversityRatified
- Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone LayerRatified
- Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeRatified
- Minamata Convention on MercuryRatified
- Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone LayerRatified
- Paris AgreementRatified
- Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International TradeRatified
- Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic PollutantsRatified
- United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in AfricaRatified
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeRatified
Human rights
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or PunishmentRatified
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against WomenRatified
- Convention on the Rights of Persons with DisabilitiesRatified
- Convention on the Rights of the ChildRatified
- International Covenant on Civil and Political RightsRatified
International justice
- Rome Statute of the International Criminal CourtRatified
Trade & governance
- United Nations Convention against CorruptionRatified
- United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized CrimeRatified
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the SeaRatified
Voting record
Full voting record →Sierra Leone maintains overwhelming consensus alignment in General Assembly voting, with 4,517 yes votes out of 5,426 recorded votes (83%) and only 24 dissenting votes across four decades. The country's voting posture is deeply conformist, with a single notable dissent recorded in 1985 against the Nicaragua embargo resolution (casting one of only 6% of votes in opposition). This exceptional restraint in dissent reflects either strong alignment with UN consensus positions or strategic avoidance of controversial stances, making Sierra Leone a reliable voice within the consensus rather than a challenger to dominant voting blocs.
Notable dissents from consensus
Trade embargo against Nicaragua : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
1985-12-17 · voted N · 94% voted yes
Human development
Full HDI record →Human Development Index: 0.467 (Low), ranked #185 globally in 2023.
Combines life expectancy, education, and income into one comparable score, 0 to 1. Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025 — deterministic figures, not AI-generated.
1990–2023