Region:Asia Pacific
Current UN Women Plan Period Afghanisthan:2018-2022
World Bank Income Classification:Low Income
The World Bank classifies economies for analytical purposes into four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income. For this purpose it uses gross national income (GNI) per capita data in U.S. dollars, converted from local currency using the World Bank Atlas method, which is applied to smooth exchange rate fluctuations.
Least Developed Country:Yes
Since 1971, the United Nations has recognized LDCs as a category of States that are deemed highly disadvantaged in their development process, for structural, historical and also geographical reasons. Three criteria are used: per capita income, human assets, and economic vulnerability.
Gender Inequality Index:0.575
GII is a composite metric of gender inequality using three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market. A low GII value indicates low inequality between women and men, and vice-versa.
Gender Development Index:0.723
GDI measures gender inequalities in achievement in three basic dimensions of human development: health, education, and command over economic resources.
Population:209,497,025
Source of population data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision
Male:19,976,265 (9.5%)
Female:189,520,760 (90.5%)
outcome XM-DAC-41146-LBR_D_1.2
By 2024, people in Liberia especially the vulnerable and disadvantaged, benefit from strengthened institutions that are more effective, accountable, transparent, inclusive and gender-responsive in the delivery of essential services at the national and sub-national levels.
Some progress towards the outcome has been reported, for example around 300 traditional FGM practitioner have shown commitment and minimized FGM practices, an indication towards improved quality of life for women and girls, however there are still a vast majority of communities who still practice FGM, and there is a long way to go to address this issue. The FGM traditional practitioners committed to not practice FGM as the result of the new funding sources; VSLA, climate-smart agriculture, small businesses and other literacy skills projects that have made them financially independent. Through sustained advocacy of UN Women, the government endorsed an anti SGBV roadmap which seeks to address the increased cases of SGBV during and after the COVID 19 pandemic and committed USD 2M for its implementation in the 2020/2021 Fiscal Year (FY) national budget.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-LBR_D_2.2
By 2024, Liberia has sustained, diversified and inclusive economic growth driven by investments in agriculture, food security and job creation and is resilient to climate change and natural disasters.
To promote gender equality and women empowerment, UN Women Liberia enhanced knowledge of rural women smallholder farmers on land rights and equal access to and ownership of land for investing in climate smart agriculture and agribusiness development. Furthermore, UN Women adapted innovative means of providing extension and advisory services to rural women using social media, specifically WhatsApp. Social media is being used by UN Women to deploy knowledge products and lessons to over 800 women and youth farmers through various farming cooperatives. The women have expressed satisfaction with improvements on agricultural productivity that is boosting the women farmers’ incomes and increasing their resilience and adaptation to climate change. As a result, farmers are better aware of the crop varieties they should grow in times of severe wet or dry climatic conditions, to enable them to generate better yields at field level. Other women economic empowerment initiatives such as Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) and adult literacy, numeracy, and business skills programmes are helping to unlock the potential of rural women and increasing access to sustainable financial services. Rural women also benefitted from the sustainable and renewable energy project through UN Women’s partnership with ’We Care Solar’ on the use of its solar suitcases that are providing electricity to over 700 women learners attending and participating in UN Women Liberia’s funded literacy and numeracy skills classes in Lofa, Bong, and Nimba Counties. Through its partnership with Orange Liberia, UN Women Liberia enhanced the promotion of decent work and created employment opportunities for women as mobile money agents. These women are transacting mobile money businesses in both United States and Liberian dollars.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-LBR_D_3.2
By 2024, the most vulnerable and excluded groups have improved quality of life with rights-based, gender sensitive ,inclusive, equitable access and utilization of essential social services in an environment free of discrimination and violence including in humanitarian situations.
The Ending Violence Against Women Section of the Liberia CO executed several activities geared toward increased awareness and knowledge on SGBV Prevention, addressing negative traditional practices through engagement with traditional leaders and practitioners on the elimination of the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)and building the capacity of media practitioners and media institutions in advocacy, reporting in a gender sensitive manner as well as follow on SGBV issues. As a result of these interventions, 225 communities were reached with awareness raising activities targeting 11,247 community members (4,491 women, 5,592 men, 684 girls and 480 boys) and 15 male networks in the 5 Spotlight Counties on social behavior change to address VAW, SGBV, HPs, SRHRs and the acceptance of marginalized groups including LGBTIQs, PLWHIV, the physically challenged to transform social norms, attitudes, and behaviors to the most vulnerable and excluded groups 300 traditional practitioners who earlier performed FGM were empowered with alternative economic livelihood activities and are engaged in climate smart agriculture programs, Village and Savings Loan Association Programs. These practitioners have established 12 VSLA groups with capitals that have groups from LD$2,149,775.00 in 2020 to LD$5,173,820 in 2021, contributing to an increase in household incomes and sustained businesses which have grown from small to middle-level businesses.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-LBR_D_4.2
By 2024, women, girls, men and boys in Liberia experience more sustained peace, inclusive and sustainable growth and development through strengthened formal and informal institutions providing access to effective and equitable justice and security services; promoting and protecting human rights; and strengthening social cohesion and reconciliation.
Under the leadership of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Government continued its efforts towards the achievement of a gender-sensitive service delivery including the provision of equitable and effective justice and security services. This is evident by the creation of Gender and Social inclusion Units in security institutions, i.e. Ministry of Justice, the Liberia National Fire Service, and Ministry of Defense. With technical and financial support from UN Women, The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), developed a national Gender-responsive Planning and Budgeting (GRPB) policy. Following the issuance of the policy, a national coordination unit was established at the MFDP to manage the institutionalization of GRPB in various ministries and agencies. The government increased its commitment to the National Action Plan (NAP) on WPS (Women Peace and Security) by allocating USD 70,000 to enhance the capacity of the National Gender-responsive planning and budgeting Coordination Unit and US$ 1.2 million to the social development sector through its national budget of which most of the activities are linked to various aspect towards implementation of the NAP WPS. In addition, three government ministries, namely the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, each developed an institutional gender and social inclusion policies.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-LBR_D_6.1
The capacity of the GoL, gender equality advocates and other national stakeholders strengthened to assess progress and accelerate the implementation of continental and global normative and policy frameworks
UN Women continued to enhance the capacity of GoL, gender equality advocates and other national stakeholders including women led civil society organizations to facilitate the monitoring of progress towards the achievement of the concluding observations of the CEDAW Committee. For instance, a UNW LBR sponsored weeklong capacity building training for gender units of government ministries and agencies as well as gender advocates CSOs, this resulted to an agreement on the timelines for reporting by both parties of the state party CEDAW report. The capacity of the National Election Commission and the legislature has been enhanced through different capacity building and mentorship programs. As a result, the number of females in the legislature and the cabinet increased from 10 to 11 and from 4 to 5 respectively through gender mainstreaming in 2021. In addition, Women human rights defenders from the five (5) counties, including Civil Society Organization Human Rights Advocacy Platform (CSO-Platform), have enhanced capacities in drafting legislations, shadow reports with emphasis on the Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and developing advocacy strategy on the implementation of legislation and CEDAW recommendations. The Human Rights Advocacy Platform (CSO-Platform), including women human rights defenders, drafted a shadow report on the CEDAW and are embarking in drafting the National Human Rights Defenders Protection Policy.Showing 1 - 5 of 5
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References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).
References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).