Hawa Bility
More than 40 percent of resources under a US$3 million gender and peacebuilding initiative will be channeled directly to Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs) to strengthen their participation in peacebuilding, governance, justice and social cohesion in Liberia.
The funding is part of the Gender Promotion Initiative (GPI) 2.0, a three-year program launched in Monrovia on Monday, September 14, 2026, according to a release.
Funded by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, the initiative will run from April 2026 to April 2029 and will be implemented in Montserrado, Lofa, Nimba, Grand Gedeh and Grand Cape Mount Counties.
The resources will be provided to women-led and women-focused organizations through sub-grants to strengthen their capacity to undertake strategic advocacy, mediation, conflict prevention, reconciliation, negotiation and resource mobilization.
The investment is intended to enhance the ability of Women’s Rights Organizations to contribute to peacebuilding, governance, accountability and social cohesion processes at national and community levels.
GPI 2.0 will also support women’s leadership and participation in decision-making, gender-responsive justice and accountability, inclusive peacebuilding, transitional justice and gender-responsive governance.
The programme will further strengthen key government institutions, including the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
Support to the institutions will focus on gender-responsive planning and budgeting, accountability, institutional coordination and evidence-based decision-making.
Speaking at the launch, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection Gbeme Horace-Kollie stressed that the programme’s success should be measured by the practical and lasting changes it brings to women, survivors, young people and vulnerable communities.
“The true measure of this project should not be the number of meetings we hold or activities we complete. It must be the change that women, survivors, young people, and communities can see and feel in their lives,” Minister Horace-Kollie said.
She said GPI 2.0 provides an opportunity to translate Liberia’s national commitments on gender equality, women’s rights, peacebuilding, justice and social protection into concrete and measurable results.
Also speaking, UN Resident Coordinator in Liberia Christine Umutoni emphasized the need to recognize Liberian women as leaders, decision-makers and agents of change, rather than only as victims and survivors of conflict.
Madam Umutoni said women must be meaningfully positioned at the center of national efforts to promote accountability, healing, reconciliation and sustainable peace.
The launch brought together representatives of government institutions, civil society organizations, Women’s Rights Organizations, cross-border women traders, development partners and other stakeholders.
