Liberia has just taken a major step forward for women and peace. Last week, the country validated its third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security — a document that sets out how the government will protect women's rights, include women in peacebuilding, and make sure women's voices are heard when decisions are made about security. The validation happened after a two-day technical session where government officials, civil society groups, and international partners all came together to review the draft plan.
Fairnoh Gbilah, who leads Human Rights and Women, Peace and Security at Liberia's Ministry of Gender, called the moment a milestone. "We have successfully validated the third National Action Plan for Liberia," Gbilah said. "We can now move from phase one and phase two into phase three."
Liberia has been working on this issue for a long time. The global Women, Peace and Security agenda was adopted by the United Nations in 2000, and Gbilah said Liberia has been a pioneer in pushing it forward ever since. The first two phases laid the groundwork; now phase three aims to turn those ideas into real change for women across the country.
Tsega Meles, a program specialist with UN Women, called the session productive. "This has been a very intense process," she said, praising the Ministry of Gender's team for organizing everything. UN Women wasn't alone in supporting the process — the African Union and the Embassy of Ireland also helped make it happen.
But Dr. Sally Wangamati, a Women, Peace and Security specialist who worked on the plan, said validation is only the beginning. "Now the biggest challenge is not the validation of the NAP," she explained. "The biggest challenge is making sure that the women of Liberia are able to benefit from this NAP."
Wangamati urged officials to make sure the plan reaches women at the grassroots level — not just in the capital — and to involve men in the work too. She pointed out that women's contributions have shaped history, and that sustainable peace happens when everyone works together. "This third NAP is being driven by women. It is going to be implemented by the women and not only the women, but also the men of Liberia, because when we work together, we have sustainable peace."
With validation complete, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection will now finalize the document for an official launch. The hope is that phase three will build on Liberia's history of women-led peacebuilding and actually deliver results for communities across the country.