UN Women’s partnership with the Government of Liberia has driven meaningful progress in women’s political leadership and participation in security decision-making, contributing to SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) and Outcomes 3 and 4 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (Sustaining Peace and Security; Governance and Transparency).  In 2024, women were appointed as Minister of National Defense and Spokesperson for the Liberia National Police for the first time. While the security sector remains male-dominated, these milestones reflect UN Women’s contribution through sustained advocacy and programming to increase the number of women in military and police roles. Moreover, women's representation in the ministerial cabinet increased from 26.3 percent in 2023 to 35 percent in 2024, while the share of women deputy ministers rose from 23 percent to 31 percent. At the local level, women now hold 11 percent of appointed positions, up from 8 percent in 2023. 

UN Women facilitated these achievements by collaborating with local women’s rights organizations, such as Sister Aid Liberia and the Women’s NGO Secretariat of Liberia, to enhance the advocacy and political leadership skills of over 500 women. This entailed providing evidence-based tools to support their engagement with decision-makers, leading to the targeting of 412 male leaders, including traditional leaders across seven counties[1], to actively support women’s participation. This positively influenced men's roles in promoting gender parity and contributed to 58 women being appointed to local leadership roles, including town chiefs and district commissioners, thereby increasing women's representation in local governance.  These results align with increased funding to support women's meaningful participation in public life. In 2024, five[2] ministries and agencies, including one security institution, allocated over $250,000—a 2 percent increase from 2023—to better support their women employees. 

With funding from the Governments of Ireland, Sweden, UNDP, and the UN Peacebuilding Fund, UN Women is advancing transformative approaches with the potential to create a more just, equal future for women and girls in Liberia.