– SRHR Conference ends with Call for Change
CONGO TOWN, Monrovia – A three-day 2025 National Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Conference organized by the Amplifying Rights Network, concluded on Friday with a mandate: to transform dialogue into decisive action to secure the health, dignity, and autonomy of every Liberian.
By Jerromie S. Walters/wjerromieagmail.com
Held at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex under the resonant theme, “Breaking The Barriers: Advancing SRHR For All,” the conference, forged a coalition of government officials, international diplomats, civil society champions, rural community leaders, and a formidable contingent of youth, all united by a common purpose.
The final day, dubbed “Living bold and unapologetic,” moved from analysis to accountability, culminating in a series of powerful addresses that laid out a clear, actionable path forward for Liberia. Day one, “Breaking free from false narratives,” set the tone, transforming a formal opening into a stirring dialogue featuring a keynote from Dr. Dazon Dixon Diallo. Personal stories intertwined with stark data to challenge deep-seated stigmas.
Day two, “Tools to live with identity and autonomy,” equipped participants with practical strategies through parallel tracks on Service Delivery, Access, and Financing & Accountability. A groundbreaking innovation this year was the establishment of five regional satellite hubs in Buchanan, Gbarnga, Ganta, Zwedru, and Tubmanburg, ensuring grassroots voices from across Liberia were not just heard but were integral to the national conversation. This set the stage for the climactic third day, where the energy shifted from shared learning to shared resolve.
A Bridge to the Future:
Facia Harris, Executive Director of the Paramount Young Women Initiative (PAYOWI), opened the closing plenary with an acknowledgment of the collective effort. She specifically hailed the pioneering satellite “Hubs of Participation” (HOPs), a pilot project designed to bypass technological and geographical barriers.
“We keep emphasizing the HOP because it’s an idea that we decided to pilot, not just to sit in Monrovia, but to find ways… to bring voices that cannot be in this room to the conference,” Harris stated, thanking coordinators from Nimba, Bong, New Kru Town, and elsewhere. She gave a special mention to the Bomi hub, noting, “They are bold. Because that HOP in Bomi has a lot of our sisters and brothers who are differently abled… they could have their own conference once we were here.”
“I urge all of us to unite. There are many organizations, there are many initiatives, but we can achieve more if we unite… Let’s unite our efforts moving forward to ensure that no one, no one is left behind.” Echoing the late Dr. Axel Z. Pamir, she reminded the audience, “reproductive health is a bridge to sustainable development. When people can plan their families, they can plan their lives. So let us be that bridge.”
“Our Rise Can Win!”:
Loretta Popekai of the Liberia Civil Society Council Chairperson electrified the room with her energy, declaring, “Our eyes can win! From day one to day three, we are still energized!” She expressed profound gratitude to the Amplifying Rights Network and partners but issued a stern warning against complacency.
“We are going back happy, but not to sit on what we have learned over the past few days, but to make sure that this event is able to multiply in terms of the messages,” she charged, directly engaging the audience. “What you have learned from here, you are able to organize meetings, you can discuss it at the community level, at the school level. Are you with me? Do not sit on what you have learned.”
Popekai laid out a concrete set of recommendations that would become the conference’s core action points. These include, Increase investment in SRHR services for universal access, strengthening multi-sectoral partnerships to improve service delivery, prioritizing comprehensive sexuality education in schools and communities and Advocate for policies that remove barriers like stigma, discrimination, and harmful traditional practices.
Power, Investment, and Accountability
Brittney Varpilah of Lastmile Health, delivering the keynote message, framed the theme not as a slogan but as a “mandate for action.” She acknowledged the hard truths confronted over the three days: “the preventable maternal death, the shadow of gender-based violence, and the silence that still surrounds the bodies and choices of women, girls, and marginalized communities.” “We spoke, we analyzed, we shared the painful truth. Now, I say, we must act,” Varpilah declared.
She proposed three formidable pillars for the way forward, which include Power to the People: “True change happens when we shift power,” she asserted, calling for direct funding for youth-led and feminist organizations and permanent seats for them at decision-making tables. “It means trusting communities to lead their own liberation.” The keynote speaker also recommended Investment with Impact: “We must match our powerful words with tangible resources,” Varpilah stated, emphasizing the need for increased domestic financing and smart, flexible international funding. “An investment in SRHR is not a cost… It is the smartest investment in Liberia’s peace and prosperity.”
In addition, she proposed Accountability with Action. She demanded a new pact of accountability, not just for outputs but for dignity and transformed lives. “We must be accountable not just for the number of contraceptives distributed, but for the dignity with which they are given. Not just for policies passed, but for lives transformed.” Her closing vision was of a “new Liberia… where no woman dies giving life, where no girl’s future is stolen, and where every person has the power to write their own destiny.”
From Policy to Practice:
The government’s commitment was voiced by Dr. Nuntia Gbanlon Nuah, Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Health. She reaffirmed that advancing SRHR is “not only our health priority, but our development imperative.” “As a ministry, we reaffirm our commitment to translate the commitments made here into concrete actions,” Dr. Nuah stated, pledging to strengthen partnerships and center young people in the national SRHR agenda.
Perhaps the most symbolic moment of institutional shift came from Counselor James Verdier, Chief of Office Staff to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. He confessed that the open discussions on once-taboo topics had been an “eye-opener.” “I must say that in the last 30 to 45 minutes I’ve been here, I’ve heard things that for me growing up was an abomination,” Verdier shared. “That people, children, everybody here can actively, lively, measure and say those words without any retribution… It tells me that our society is growing and awareness is actually taking root.”
He squarely framed SRHR as a “fundamental human right” and linked Liberia’s prosperity to the empowerment of its women and girls. He acknowledged the “alarmingly high maternal mortality rate” and the barrier of adolescent pregnancy, stating, “Comprehensive sexuality education is not a luxury. It is a necessity.”
While commending legal progress, Verdier conceded that implementation faced “limited challenges,” including geographic barriers, entrenched social norms, and legal restrictions. On behalf of Speaker Richard Koon, he pledged the legislature’s commitment to lawmaking and strengthening existing laws, declaring, “Our offices remain open.” The conference concluded with a recognition of partners, honoring organizations like AWARD: KTK, DKT, UNFPA, the Swedish Embassy, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Gender, among others, for their steadfast support.
