Liberia: Statement During UN Peacebuilding Commission Configuration Meeting

Thank you, Madam Chair,

Excellencies (H.E. Amb. Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Liberia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and former PR of the Liberia Mission; H.E. Ms. Williametta Piso Saydee-Tarr, Liberia's Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection)

Having just celebrated International Women's Day and as we look forward to CSW65, allow me to begin with a quote from H.E. Ms. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, Africa's first elected female Head of State, and Nobel Peace Laureate, on the occasion marking the 20th anniversary of UN resolution 1325 last October. Her Excellency spoke to the dedication, consistency, and compromise that women bring in the pursuit of peace, and observed that it is important for women to participate in peace processes because, and I quote, "Experience shows very clearly that when women are involved, the durability of peace can be secured."

Indeed, Excellencies, your informative briefings this morning have further reminded us of the journey Liberia continues to take as a country transitioning from a peacekeeping mission to a UN Country Team. My delegation also appreciates Amb. Julie Endee for providing us with a civil society perspective.

Alignment on the challenges, drivers, priorities and solutions needed for a clear WPS and peacebuilding strategy calls for coherence and coordination of all the stakeholders involved, particularly given the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the coming months, we are looking forward to hearing more on the operationalization of the PBC's Gender Strategy Implementation Plan and the PBC Implementation Plan on Youth and Peacebuilding within the Liberian context.

It is evident that there has been progress towards promoting women's empowerment and gender equality in Liberia. We also recognize that there are still challenges that have to be addressed to ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation of women at all levels of government and local authorities' elected offices, and in addressing sexual and gender-based violence. The next steps should ensure that all implementation measures are gender-responsive, inclusive, accessible to Liberian women and girls, and sufficiently resourced and implemented with women's full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership.

Based on the discussions, I would like to touch on two issues: the 1325 National Action Plan and the role of women in national reconciliation.

First, on the National Action Plan: Liberia, just like Kenya, is in the second phase of its National Action Plan (NAP) on Women, Peace and Security. During the transition to the second phase of implementation, we learnt a few lessons. The NAP is not just a government blueprint; there is need for national ownership of the plan and clarity on implementation indicators to make them more practical to the local context. More importantly, it was clear that if women are not economically empowered, and are not taking leadership, the implementation of the WPS four pillars of Participation, Conflict Prevention, Protection and Relief and Recovery will be in vain, and there will be gaps in the identification and documentation of emerging issues in the peace and security landscape.

Secondly, on the role of women in national reconciliation for the sustainability of peace: women have proved to be critical bridge-builders in conflict prevention and resolution. The Liberia Peace Hut concept is truly a grassroots initiative that needs continuance and reinforcement for a comprehensive engagement with societal, environmental and political challenges to peacebuilding. My delegation would like to hear a little more from the briefers on how the Peace Hut initiative is contributing to, or can be practically linked to, the rule of law and security sector institutions at the national level in the areas of accountability and national reconciliation and healing. In Kenya, we have learnt the importance of the community policing model through the "Nyumba Kumi" (Ten Households) initiative, anchored on the premise that locals know the terrain better, and that women and young girls need safe spaces to better engage in mediating local communal disputes.

In conclusion, Excellencies, we saw the positive shifts following the inclusion and wider participation of women in the 2003 Liberia Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Prioritization in the implementation of the WPS agenda will therefore be instrumental in the reconstruction, institution-building and national reconciliation efforts in Liberia. I thank you.