Monrovia: The Ministry of National Defense has partnered with UN Women-Liberia, signing a two-year agreement to increase the recruitment and participation of women in the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL).
The partnership is supported by the Elsie Initiative Fund, a global mechanism dedicated to supporting the participation of women in uniformed roles in peacekeeping. The project outlines a comprehensive strategy to address the gender gap within the AFL.
Key objectives include a direct increase in the number of female service members, the enhancement of gender equality and awareness programs across the force, and the provision of specialized pre-deployment training for both male and female officers.
To achieve these goals, the initiative will launch a nationwide recruitment campaign specifically aimed at attracting qualified women. This will include organized visits to secondary schools and universities to encourage young women to consider military careers. Furthermore, the project will fund the establishment of a dedicated pre-deployment training center and provide capacity-building support for the AFL’s own Gender Department.
UN Women Liberia Country Representative, Madam Comfort Lamptey, confirmed that the Elsie Initiative Fund has approved over US$650,000 to finance the project. “This funding will support targeted recruitment messaging, the development of training facilities, and digital literacy programs for female soldiers,” Lamptey stated.
Liberia’s Defense Minister, Brigadier General Geraldine Janet George (Rtd.), expressed the Ministry’s full commitment to the initiative. “We are grateful to UN Women and the Elsie Initiative Fund for this critical partnership,” Minister George said. She reaffirmed the Ministry’s dedication to advancing women’s roles in the AFL and announced ambitious plans for a future all-female recruitment drive.
The new initiative builds upon a 2022 barrier assessment, conducted jointly by the Ministry of National Defense and UN Women. That assessment utilized the Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peacekeeping (MOWIP) methodology to systematically identify the challenges and opportunities for improving women’s meaningful participation in peace operations.
