By: Trokon Wrepue – trokon1992seokin@gmail.com
New York City – Liberia has unveiled an ambitious US$8.38 billion Agenda for Inclusive Development, placing gender equality, youth empowerment, education, healthcare, and social development at the heart of its national priorities.
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. made the announcement on Monday when he addressed the Fourth World Conference on Women, held alongside the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The Liberian leader told the gathering that his government’s plan is designed to translate pledges into real, measurable results, stressing that thirty years after the landmark Beijing Declaration, the world must recommit to action rather than words.
“Liberia sees this anniversary not as a ceremonial occasion but as an urgent call to action. Under my leadership, Liberia is determined to move from pledges to results,” President Boakai declared.
He highlighted Liberia’s zero-tolerance stance on gender-based violence, backed by public education and direct budgetary allocations, while also pledging a permanent ban on harmful cultural practices.
The President said the moratorium currently in place will be converted into enforceable law, supported by alternative livelihood programs and national dialogues to change attitudes.
He also unveiled a National Action Plan for Young Women and Girls aimed at expanding empowerment, protection, and participation in the country’s social and political life.
Underscoring Liberia’s new role on the UN Security Council (2025–2027), President Boakai promised to champion the Women, Youth, Peace, and Security agenda, ensuring women and young people play a central role in peacebuilding and development at the global level.
He pointed to transformative programs already underway in Liberia, including the Liberia Women Empowerment Project, which is supporting tens of thousands of women entrepreneurs and improving lives in six counties, and the REALISE Project, which has provided direct cash transfers to thousands of households, most of them headed by women.
Youth-focused initiatives such as Nurture, Empower, and Protect (NEP) and Accelerating Impact for Young Women, he added, are already reaching thousands of adolescent girls with health, life skills, and entrepreneurship training, with a long-term goal of benefiting more than 160,000 by 2031.
Quoting an African proverb, President Boakai reminded world leaders: “When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion. Similarly, when women are fully empowered and supported, entire nations thrive.”
He reaffirmed Liberia’s resolve to work with Africa and the wider international community to advance the Beijing+30 agenda for women and girls everywhere.
