Liberia: Govt Bets On Women's Leadership to Deepen Peace, Justice and Democracy

What the report says

Liberia’s government and United Nations partners have launched a US$3 million, three-year Gender Promotion Initiative 2.0, aimed at increasing women’s participation in peacebuilding, transitional justice and public decision-making. The launch, reported Monday in Monrovia by the Liberian Observer, comes as Liberia continues to shape its postwar justice agenda, including work related to the proposed War and Economic Crimes Court.

Gender Minister Gbeme Horace-Kollie said the effort is meant to build on Liberia’s history of women’s activism during the civil wars, when women organized across divisions, pushed for negotiations and helped sustain pressure for peace. She argued that the new program should not treat women only as victims or beneficiaries, but as leaders and decision-makers whose community structures, including women’s peace hubs, should be strengthened rather than replaced.

UN officials echoed that message. UN Resident Coordinator Christine Umutoni said peace must be maintained by Liberians themselves, while UN Women Country Representative Dr. Abul Hasnat Monjurul Kabir said the initiative will also target capacity gaps, especially among women-led organizations outside Monrovia that often struggle to access development funding. The program is intended to support early warning, conflict prevention, community dialogue and stronger representation in justice and governance processes.

The broader significance, as framed in the report, is whether Liberia can turn women’s wartime organizing into lasting influence over institutions that shape justice, reconciliation and democracy.