UN Women Liberia Launches Renewed Civil Society Advisory Group (CSAG) 2025–2026

On 6th May 2025, UN Women Liberia officially launched the 2025–2026 Civil Society Advisory Group (CSAG) at the United Nations One House in Monrovia. The event, attended by the Honourable Gbeme Horace-Kollie, Liberia’s Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection and UN Women Liberia Country Representative, Comfort Lamptey and Deputy Director of Civil Society Engagement from UN women HQ, alongside members of the newly appointed CSAG and UN Women Liberia Staff. The re-establishment of CSAG reaffirms UN Women’s commitment to inclusive dialogue and co-creation with civil society, particularly women’s rights organizations, youth groups, and community leaders.

The CSAG brings together 12 distinguished members, selected for their diverse backgrounds and strong credentials in women’s rights and gender empowerment in Liberia. As an institutional mechanism, the CSAG serves as a strategic platform for regular dialogue between UN Women and leaders from civil society on key gender equality issues at national level ensuring that grassroots perspectives inform policies, programs, and advocacy on gender equality.

In her remarks, Minister Horace-Kollie welcomed the revitalized CSAG, highlighting its role in fostering inclusive decision-making and deepening partnerships between government and civil society.

Strategic Role in Advancing Gender Equality

Originally established in 2016, the CSAG played an advisory role until 2019. Its renewal comes at a pivotal moment, aligned with the development of UN Women’s new Strategic Plan, Liberia’s Strategic Note, and global milestones such as the celebration for the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action and the 15th anniversary of the establishment of UN Women.

“The renewed CSAG will act as a powerful mechanism to integrate grassroots perspectives into strategic decision-making,” said Madam Comfort Lamptey, the UN Women Liberia Country Representative, adding, “By reactivating this group, UN Women is recommitting to ensuring civil society remains a core partner in our efforts to drive transformative change for women and girls in Liberia.”

Over the next two years, the CSAG will advise UN Women Liberia on thematic priorities, contribute to strategic planning, and support coordinated advocacy with national stakeholders.

Strengthening Partnerships and Civil Society Engagement

The launch introduced the new CSAG members to UN Women’s mandate and provided an opportunity to outline their advisory role, share programmatic highlights, and identify areas for collaboration. Best practices from global CSAGs were also shared to inspire effective engagement and strategic direction.

UN Women Liberia has put in place a framework to guide CSAG engagement, aiming to integrate civil society input into policy discussions and ensure meaningful collaboration with government and other partners. This approach reaffirms UN Women’s commitment to inclusive governance and sustainable progress on women’s rights. UN Women expects a productive partnership with the CSAG, recognizing that this collaboration will strengthen advocacy efforts, enhance program effectiveness, and create more responsive interventions for women and girls across Liberia. By combining UN Women's technical expertise with CSAG's grassroots knowledge and community connections, this alliance promises to amplify voices that have been historically marginalized, foster greater accountability in gender-responsive initiatives, and accelerate progress toward gender equality objectives that benefit all sectors of Liberian society.