A more downbeat assessment was delivered in the latest report by the UN Panel of Experts on Liberia, which suggested that although progress has been made in improving the regulatory environment that governs the exploitation of the country's natural resources, implementation constraints still hinder its operation. The panel has been continuing its investigations into illegal arms trading and the compliance of UN member states with an asset freeze on the former president, Charles Taylor, and his close associates, as well as assessing reforms in the natural resources sectors, including diamonds, timber and other minerals (September 2008, The political scene). The panel says that there has been no progress in freezing the assets of individuals implicated in the conflict, as required under Resolution 1532 (2004). This was highlighted in diplomatic cables from the US ambassador published by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, which mentioned the difficulty the government faces in pursuing this goal given the continued presence in the legislature of individuals named by the UN sanctions committee, including a former speaker, Edwin Snowe, and the senior senator for Montserrado county, Jewel Taylor.

The UN panel claimed that although the government is in compliance with many aspects of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which governs the export of diamonds in order to limit the trade in conflict or "blood" diamonds, it has been slow to take concrete action on recommendations. The infrequent meetings of the Presidential Task Force on the process and the failure to institutionalise this into an oversight committee suggest that this has been a low priority for the government, which has been busy with election campaign planning. Meanwhile, the panel said that natural resource regulation has improved, with legislation promoting more effective governance, management and transparency, though implementation has lagged. There have been reports of non-competitive allocation of concessions and corruption in their allocation, as well as non-payment of taxes by concessionaires and a lack of the required consultation with county and district authorities and affected communities. As with diamonds, the failure to implement all aspects of the regulatory framework suggests insufficient government attention being allocated, with the Panel's report identifying the lack of monitoring capacity as a particular issue.