-As the Women’s Legislative Caucus of Liberia Signs Major Project
By Jerromie S. Walters
MONROVIA – The Women’s Legislative Caucus of Liberia (WLCL) on Tuesday signed a $1 million partnership to advance gender-responsive governance across Liberia. The signing ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs marked the launch of the project “Women Legislators in Liberia Promoting Voice, Leadership, and Gender-Responsive Governance for Sustainable Development (2025-2027),” funded through the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Facility and implemented by UN Women Liberia.
The project comes as the climax of an 18-month advocacy effort initiated after the caucus’s induction in January 2024. Under the leadership of then-Chairperson Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence, the WLCL re-engaged with international partners including the Swedish Embassy, UN Women, and UNDP to develop a comprehensive work plan. This groundwork paved the way for a delegation led by current Chairperson Honourable Ellie Attoh to the 2024 UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York, where they secured funding through engagement with the Indian Permanent Mission to the UN.
The initiative will address critical barriers to women’s political participation, including restrictive social norms, party gatekeeping, high campaign costs, and limited access to finance. Implementation will span eight counties—Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Bassa, Grand Gedeh, Lofa, Margibi, and Montserrado—focusing on strengthening the WLCL’s capacity to shape laws, budgets, and oversight functions through gender-responsive approaches.
Components and Implementation Strategy:
The comprehensive project encompasses multiple strategic components designed to create sustainable impact. Capacity building forms the foundation, with training programs for caucus members, women-led committees, and legislative staff on gender-responsive lawmaking, oversight, budgeting, and constituency outreach. This will be supplemented by on-demand technical support from national experts for drafting bills and policy briefs.
International knowledge exchange constitutes another crucial element, featuring study cycles with legislators from India and South Africa to adapt global best practices to Liberia’s context. The project will advance gender-sensitive amendments through coordinated hearings and public consultations with key institutions including the National Elections Commission, Law Reform Commission, and Ministry of Gender.
Community engagement will be strengthened through caucus-led public campaigns across counties, combining outreach with media partnerships to highlight women’s achievements and promote inclusive participation. A dedicated WLCL-CSO coordination platform will facilitate information sharing on pending reforms and gather grassroots feedback.
The project will deliver integrated interventions in the eight target counties, addressing practical needs through adult literacy programs, digital and financial skills training, entrepreneurship support, and agricultural value chain development. A legislative internship program will place young women with caucus members and committees to provide hands-on experience and leadership development opportunities.
Ex-VP Taylor Demands Tangible Support:
In a special statement, former Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor reframed the project launch as the beginning of a critical battle for true political parity rather than a culmination. She thanked international partners while emphasizing that the caucus must now demonstrate the “steel” to advance their agenda through “tedious” work ahead.
Madam Taylor challenged prevailing benchmarks, arguing that the goal should shift from 30% to 50% women’s representation across all governance institutions. “If we have 50% of women that are voting,” she asserted, “it’s easy to get 50% of the legislature made out of women candidates.” She outlined the necessary “real work” of changing attitudes among women who don’t value electing other women and mounting visibly supported campaigns.
Drawing from her 2014 re-election experience in Bong County, the former vice president highlighted the gap between symbolic and substantive support when she received only 50 T-shirts instead of crucial funding for billboards, radio airtime, and organized meetings. She called for comprehensive quota legislation similar to Sierra Leone’s model, ensuring 30% representation not only in the legislature but throughout the judiciary and executive branches where “final decisions are made.”
Foreign Minister Champions Feminist Foreign Policy:
Liberia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti phrased the ceremony as “a powerful demonstration of our collective commitment to strengthening women’s leadership.” She emphasized that Liberia’s progress depends on ensuring women equal opportunities to lead, influence policy, and shape the nation’s future.
Nyanti delivered a tribute to Liberian women’s legacy, connecting historical icons like Suakoko and Susanna Lewis to contemporary leaders Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee, and the unnamed women of the Fish Market who marched for peace. She revealed the Ministry’s pioneering commitment to adopt Africa’s first feminist foreign policy, already presented at the African Union and now inspiring other nations.
Concrete evidence of this commitment includes women holding over 60% of leadership positions at the Foreign Ministry, with 12 of 19 senior roles occupied by women. Nyanti concluded with a crucial distinction: true empowerment means not just securing seats but possessing the skills and vision “to maintain the seat, analyze the space, and change the rules that were made by men.”
UN Women Lauds South-South Cooperation:
UN Women Liberia Country Representative Comfort Lamptey celebrated the partnership as “a powerful example of South-South solidarity, where countries share resources, lessons, and experiences to drive progress together.” She noted the pioneering nature of this support, being the first initiative of its kind in Liberia.
Madam Lamptey highlighted the proven global impact of women’s parliamentary caucuses as “important engines of change” in advancing constitutional quotas, passing equal opportunity laws, and strengthening protections against gender-based violence. She affirmed that the WLCL has already been a steadfast voice for gender equality, advocating for reforms and speaking out against harmful practices.
In her opinion, the he project represents “a tool for transformation” rather than an endpoint, designed to strengthen the caucus as an institution and ensure its advocacy translates into laws and budgets addressing women’s realities. Madam Lamptey acknowledged continuing partnerships with the European Union, Sweden, Ireland, and UNDP, creating a broad coalition for women’s leadership.
International Partners reaffirm Commitment:
Indian Ambassador Manoj Bihari Verma situated the initiative within deep bilateral ties rooted in shared democratic values and common vision for inclusive development. He highlighted India’s history of supporting women-focused initiatives in Liberia, including an all-women UN peacekeeping contingent and nursing training programs.
The Ambassador emphasized that India’s development partnership philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family) guides this cooperation, with Africa remaining central to this approach. He noted Liberia’s recent election to the UN Security Council and valued its participation in all Voice of Global South Summits organized by India.
On the other hand, South African Ambassador Prof. Iqbal Jhazbhay provided thoughtful reflection on the slow pace of women’s advancement globally, noting Liberia’s unique distinction as the only nation with two female Nobel Peace Prize laureates. He questioned why this achievement hasn’t translated into legislative representation, situating this disparity within concerning global backlash against women’s rights.
Jhazbhay praised Liberia’s proactive engagement in alternative resource mobilization, highlighting how the Global Leaders Network recently filled a $6 million maternal health funding gap. He reaffirmed South Africa’s dedication to the cause, noting its G20 chairmanship and collaboration with UN Women to counter global pushback against gender equality.
The ceremony displayed the formal signing of the partnership agreement by Manoj Bihari Verma, Ambassador of India to the Republic of Liberia, H.E Prof Iqbal Jhazbhay, Ambassador of South Africa to the Republic of Liberia, Comfort Lamptey, Country Representative, UN Women Liberia, UN Resident Coordinator, Honourable Gbeme Horace-Kollie, Minister, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Honourable Ellen Attoh-Wreh, Chairperson of the Women’s Legislative Caucus, and District #3, Margibi Representative, Republic of Liberia and Honourable Sara Beyzolow Nyanti, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
