-With Prestigious National Award
Monrovia – In a distinguished recognition of her exemplary service, Cllr. Yvette Chesson-Wureh, Establishment Coordinator of the Angie Brooks International Center, will be decorated with Liberia’s highest honor—the Order of the Star of Africa (Grand Band)—during the nation’s 178th Independence Anniversary celebrations.
In a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the honoree, the Ministry noted that President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., will confer the award on July 24, 2025, at 4:00 PM at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Congo Town. The ceremony marks a highlight of Liberia’s independence festivities, celebrating individuals who have made transformative contributions to national development.
“I present my compliments and wish to inform you that in commemoration of the 178th Independence Anniversary of the Republic of Liberia, His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., President of the Republic of Liberia, will confer upon you Liberia’s distinction in the Order of the Star of Africa with the grade of Grand Band,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs letter reads. The honoree has been invited to bring three guests to the ceremony, which will gather dignitaries, diplomats, and civil society leaders.
Cllr. Dr. Yvette Chesson-Gibson (formerly Chesson-Wureh) is a globally respected Liberian legal luminary, women’s rights advocate, and international peacebuilder. She is the Establishment Coordinator of the Angie Brooks International Centre (ABIC) for Women’s Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security, an institution created as the legacy outcome of the 2009 International Colloquium co- convened by H.E. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and H.E. President Tarja Halonen of Finland.
A pioneer in gender-responsive peacebuilding, Cllr. Chesson-Gibson is the Initiator of the Women’s Situation Room (WSR), an award-winning early warning and rapid response mechanism to prevent and mitigate electoral violence. Under her leadership, the WSR has been successfully implemented in over ten national elections across Africa, including Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Ghana. She currently serves as Chair of the Eminent Women’s Room of the WSR and Co- Chair of FemWise ECOWAS, the women mediators’ network within the ECOWAS regional bloc.
Her leadership extends to major national and international platforms, including chairing the logistics for the 2015 inauguration of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the United Nations High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. During Liberia’s Ebola crisis, she led nationwide community engagement efforts, advised the government on ethical and legal matters, and mobilized youth through ABIC’s platforms.
While in the diaspora, Cllr. Chesson-Gibson played a critical role in advocating for the rights of Liberians living in the United States. Together with powerhouse Liberian lawyers, Cllr. Christina Tah, Cllr. Mohammedu Jones, and others, she successfully fought for and won the designation of Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for undocumented Liberians.
This victory not only legalized their status but also granted them access to work permits, restoring dignity and stability to thousands of Liberian families.
She is a member of the United States Supreme Court Bar, the U.S. Federal District Court Bar, and the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL). She was one of 18 Global Commissioners appointed to the U.S. National Academy of Science and
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Medicine and served on the Liberian Joint Presidential Transitional Team (JPTT) in 2018, including its Strategic Secretariat. She was also a member of Liberia’s first Board of Tax Appeals (2012–2018).
Internationally known for her peace advocacy during Liberia’s civil war, she served as President of Liberians United for Peace & Democracy (LUPD), leading the largest Liberian peace march on Washington, D.C., and successfully lobbying the U.S. Congress and White House to support ECOWAS peacekeeping in Liberia.
Drawing on the political influence of her mentor, the late Dr. Dorothy Height, she also secured U.S. intervention that allowed three refugee ships including the Bulk Challenger carrying thousands of stranded Liberians to finally dock after being refused by several West African nations. Cllr. Chesson-Gibson is deeply rooted in Liberia’s heritage and calls for unity and reconciliation.
On her maternal side, she is the great-great-granddaughter of King Zolu Duma (King Peter) of the Vai people and the great-granddaughter of President Hilary R. W. Johnson, Liberia’s first president born on Liberian soil. Her mother, Catherine Leona Tucker Chesson was a formidable lawyer in her own rights, representing Liberia in many international bodies and becoming a member of the Liberian House of Representatives for Montserrado County.
On her paternal side, she is the granddaughter of Joseph Chesson, one of Liberia’s famed Merchant Princes. She is also a member of the April 22nd Memorial Group, honoring the memory of President William R. Tolbert, Jr., twelve cabinet officials (including her father, Hon. Cllr. Joseph J.F. Chesson, Minister of Justice ), and others illegally executed during the 1980 coup.
She earned her Juris Doctor with honors from North Carolina Central University (NCCU) School of Law and was featured in Who’s Who in American Law Schools (1988 Edition). She also holds a certificate in Mediation and Arbitration from Bowie State University and is the recipient of numerous national and international awards. Cllr. Dr. Yvette Chesson-Gibson remains a powerful voice for justice, peace, reconciliation, and the advancement of women across Liberia, Africa, and the global stage.
Cllr. Chesson-Wureh’s recognition aligns with President Boakai’s pledge to celebrate “the unsung architects of Liberia’s resilience.”
