UN Women and Partners Roll Out US$3 Million Initiative to Advance Women’s Leadership, Justice and Peacebuilding in Liberia
Date:
UN Women and Partners Roll Out US$3 Million Initiative to Advance Women’s Leadership, Justice and Peacebuilding in Liberia
September 14, 2026, Monrovia – UN Women, in partnership with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), and Kvinna till Kvinna (KTK), rolled out the Gender Promotion Initiative (GPI) 2.0, a three-year programme funded by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (PBF).
With a total budget of US$3 million, GPI 2.0 will be implemented from April 2026 to April 2029 at the national level and in five priority counties: Montserrado, Lofa, Nimba, Grand Gedeh and Grand Cape Mount.
The initiative seeks to strengthen Liberia’s efforts to advance inclusive peacebuilding, social cohesion, transitional justice and gender-responsive governance by increasing women’s leadership, participation in decision-making, and access to justice.
The programme’s overarching outcome is more inclusive national peacebuilding processes that demonstrate increased gender-responsive decision-making.
GPI 2.0 will focus on three mutually reinforcing areas: strengthening Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs); enhancing government capacity to deliver gender-responsive justice, accountability and governance; and strengthening collaboration among government, civil society and communities. More than 40 percent of programme resources will be channeled directly to WROs through sub-grants, reinforcing local ownership and sustainability.
United Nations Resident Coordinator Christine Umutoni underscored the central role of Liberian women in sustaining peace:
“Liberian women helped bring an end to conflict and have continued to sustain peace through advocacy, mediation, reconciliation, Peace Huts, and community leadership. They must therefore be recognized not only as people affected by conflict, or as beneficiaries of justice, but as decision-makers and partners shaping Liberia’s path towards accountability, healing, and non-recurrence.”
UN Women Liberia Country Representative Monjurul Kabir emphasized that the programme’s success will be measured by lasting institutional and community-level change.
“The success of this programme will not be measured only by activities delivered, but by stronger institutions, more empowered women’s organizations, increased participation of women in decision-making, and greater trust in justice and peacebuilding processes.”
GPI 2.0 will provide technical, institutional and financial support to Women’s Rights Organizations, including training in advocacy, mediation, conflict prevention, reconciliation, negotiation, project management and resource mobilization. It will also strengthen survivor support networks and promote intergenerational mentorship and dialogue.
Government institutions, including the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court (OWECC), Ministry of Justice and MoGCSP, will receive support to strengthen gender-responsive planning, budgeting, accountability, monitoring and evidence-based decision-making, including in relation to transitional justice and the War and Economic Crimes Court process.
The programme will also foster community dialogues, awareness campaigns, monitoring of gender commitments, exchange of transitional justice experiences, and stronger coordination platforms, while promoting women’s leadership in peacebuilding, justice and national development processes.
The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon. Gbemie Horace-Kollie stressed the importance of national ownership and sustainability, noting:“As Government, our responsibility goes beyond welcoming this initiative. We must ensure national ownership, accountability, and sustainability. Partnership is strongest when international support reinforces national leadership and community ownership.”
Through strong collaboration among government, civil society and the United Nations system, GPI 2.0 represents a strategic investment in ensuring that women and girls are not only beneficiaries of Liberia’s peace and development, but active leaders and decision-makers shaping the country’s future.