Important progress has been made in eliminating FGM globally and in Liberia. Exactly, a year ago, on 6 February 2023, the National Council of Chiefs and Elders of Liberia (NACCEL), made a historic proclamation to ban the practice of FGM in Liberia. Since then, traditional ceremonies to effectively enforce the ban on FGM have been conducted in four out of 11 FGM practicing counties in Liberia, namely Montserrado, Grand Cape Mount, Nimba and Bong counties. 

Liberia also signalled its commitment to ending FGM during the global convening of world leaders and women’s rights activists at the Generation Equality Forum in Paris in 2021, where Liberia pledged to pursue efforts to end Gender Based Violence and became a signatory to the collective commitment on eradicating harmful practices, including FGM.

This year’s commemoration of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM will be held at the Vezela Vocational and Heritage Centre in Lofa County. Several activities are lined up to mark the anti-FGM Day including, traditional ceremonies to close bush schools and enforce the ban on FGM by NACCEL with technical support from the Liberia Crusaders For Peace and the official handover of the Vezela Heritage Centre to the Government of Liberia. Lofa is set to be the fifth county to conduct traditional ceremonies to ban FGM and close bush schools in the country.

The Vezela centre is one of the four vocational and heritage centres established by UN Women with funding from the European Union and the United Nations through the Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women, harmful practices and promote sexual and reproductive health and rights. Vocational and heritage centers provide dedicated learning space to teach former FGM traditional practitioners new skills to enable them to pursue alternative sources of income to replace FGM. Other heritage centres are located in Grand Cape Mount, Montserrado and Nimba counties. 

To date, over 800 former traditional practitioners of FGM are benefitting from alternative economic livelihood programs such as climate smart agriculture, business and vocational skills training with support from the European Union, United Nations and Government of Liberia Spotlight Initiative. 

As we observe the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, UN Women commends the traditional leaders and communities for their unwavering commitment to ending FGM in Liberia and embracing the concept of ‘initiation without mutilation’ which upholds positive cultural practices as part of the rites of passage of young girls, whilst eliminating FGM. 

“Although progress has been made in eliminating FGM, Liberia is one of only three counties in the region yet to outlaw FGM,” says Comfort Lamptey, UN Women Liberia Country Representative. 
“We call on all stakeholders to continue ensuring collective commitment to ending this harmful practice and ensuring the fundamental rights and dignity of women and girls are realised. We call on lawmakers to ensure that the FGM Bill that is currently before the legislature is passed into law.”

UN Women is supporting the Government of Liberia and NACCEL to commemorate FGM Day and to conduct bush school closure events with funding from the Government of Sweden. 

For more information please contact:

Gloriah Ganyani
UN Women Communication Specialist
E-mail - gloria.ganyani@unwomen.org
Tel: +231 776866201

John Monibah
UN Women Communications Officer
E-mail – john.monibah@unwomen.org
Tel : +231 776737521

By Comfort Lamptey, UN Women Liberia, Country Representative.

Monrovia, 7 March, 2024

In Liberia, as in many parts of the world, women face challenges related to poverty and continue to face numerous barriers to full economic and political participation and empowerment. Over half of Liberia’s  population (51 percent) live below the national poverty line, according to a World Bank report.. In 2021, Liberia ranked 164 out of 191 on the Gender Inequality Index.

Limited access to education, healthcare, economic opportunities including a lack of access to credit and banking services,  limited social protections, and insecure access to land, along with persistent gender stereotypes and discriminatory cultural practices, continue to block women from reaching their full potential.

Although most Liberian women engage in wage labor or work informally, they remain responsible for the bulk of care work – which remains undervalued and unrecognized, despite the essential nature of this work – and its immeasurable contribution to the formal economy.

By closing existing gaps in care work and expanding decent work opportunities, and prioritizing gender-responsive financing, the full potential of women and girls can be unlocked to drive sustainable development and prosperity for all.

Recognizing the need to accelerate the slow progress on gender equality as well as the growing evidence base that demonstrates the transformative impact of gender responsive financing, the global theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is, ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress,’ and the national theme is ‘Empower Her, Empower All'.

Gender responsive budgeting and planning has been upheld globally and in Africa as a tool to target development interventions to meet the diverse needs of women and men, boys and girls. The Government of Liberia has made important investments in recent years to promote gender equality through initiatives such as the Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting Unit at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning to ensure inclusive development planning and implementation, providing comprehensive gender analysis to address gaps across all sectors. Several ministries have also established gender and social inclusion units, which need to be capacitated to be effective in addressing inequalities in the delivery of public goods and services.  Similarly, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection needs to be adequately funded to effectively deliver on its gender coordination and monitoring mandate.

Investing in women is essential for crafting transformative solutions that empower women to claim their rights, break free from the cycle of poverty, and flourish. When women are economically empowered, entire communities thrive, and economies grow.

Liberia has an abundance of women’s rights organisations that do incredible work in the areas of women’s economic empowerment, gender-based violence prevention and response, women’s political participation and leadership, sexual and reproductive health and rights, amongst others. Despite the significant contributions to Liberia’s development, they are not adequately funded.

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is a Call to Action for all stakeholders to invest in these women’s rights organisations that are at the forefront of providing crucial services, fighting discrimination and violence, contributing to economic growth and prosperity in Liberia.

UN Women remains committed to collaborating with partners to support Liberia on this path, by providing technical resources to ensure that policies, plans, programs, and budgets are gender-responsive. This includes working closely with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection and the national Legislature to mainstream gender priorities at both national and subnational levels.

Actualising the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day in Liberia will require a prioritization of gender-responsive financing and increased public spending on essential services and social protection, as well as investments in women and women led organisations to accelerate progress.

This International Women’s Day, let us recognize the invaluable contributions of women to Liberia's past, present, and future, and commit to removing the barriers that hold them back. Together, we can build a Liberia where every woman and girl has the opportunity to fulfill her potential and contribute to the nation's development. Investing in women isn't just about empowering individuals; it's about building a more just, prosperous, and sustainable future for Liberia and the world. Happy International Women’s Day 2024.