Liberia Launches Pathways Framework -Foreign Minister Nyanti leads UNGA launch

MONROVIA – Liberia is turning its post-war story into diplomatic weight. On the UNGA stage, Monrovia launched its PATHWAYs framework for youth, peace and security. The timing here is quite deliberate. In December, Liberia takes over the UN Security Council presidency. Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti anchored the vision in six pillars and 2035 targets. Ministers cast it as a promise with a timeline, not a slogan. The stakes are also domestic. A young and restless majority needs jobs, a voice and real hope. Partners were pressed to fund evidence, not mere pledges. Whether money follows the rhetoric will decide its fate. As THE ANALYST reports, the country wants its youth counted as peacebuilders, not statistics.

The Republic of Liberia has launched a comprehensive PATHWAYs framework on youth, peace, security and development, signaling the country’s readiness to engage actively in global initiatives. Minister of Foreign Affairs Sara Beysolow Nyanti launched the vision document on September 18, 2026, during the UNSC-UNGA81 high-level side event held at the African Union Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.

The document aims to establish essential pathways for future generations and to mobilize investment behind a youth vision for 2035. It seeks to consolidate the work already done for young people across Liberia’s 15 counties while placing young Liberians at the center of shaping the country’s future.

Rooting And Rising

The launch anchored a side event titled “Rooting and Rising: Liberia’s Vision for Youth, Peace and Security,” convened on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. The event ran on Friday, September 18, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at Nelson Mandela Hall of the African Union Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York. It gathered international partners, youth leaders, government representatives and civil society actors to foster investment in youth-led initiatives.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports had earlier announced a high-level speaker lineup for the gathering. The roster brought together Nyanti; Minister of Youth and Sports Cornelia Wonkerleh Kruah; United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UNFPA Executive Director Diene Keita; United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support Elizabeth Mary Spehar; and United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs Felipe Paullier.

According to Nyanti, the framework answers a transformational call and consolidates the remarkable work done for young people in the fifteen counties. She said it embeds the active participation of young Liberians in shaping the country’s future and unites the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ five-year strategic plan and the national youth policy under one powerful mandate.

She emphasized that youth, peace and security rank among Liberia’s top priorities at the Security Council. Nyanti stressed the value of amplifying the voices of Liberian youth on the global stage.

Six Pillars For Youth

The framework rests on six interconnected pillars: governance, evidence, the pathways structure, sports, the creative economy and strategic investment. Together, Nyanti said, they form the foundation of a strong and sustainable system, one built on robust institutions, honest evidence and sustained investment that creates real opportunities for young people.

She called on national and international partners to join Liberia in building the pathways that will help elevate future generations. The vision, she added, is meant to endure beyond any single administration.

Also speaking, Cornelia Wonkerleh Kruah, Minister of Youth and Sports, emphasized the significance of investing in the PATHWAYs Reform mandate. She declared that by 2035 every young Liberian should have a pathway to achieve his or her goals.

Kruah said the PATHWAYs vision represents Liberia’s public commitment to young people, to partners and to history, complete with measurable targets, a timeline for evaluation and the overarching mandate of a generation. She stated that the reform initiative is transparent and accessible, inviting stakeholders to invest in a well-established plan backed by evidence and progress rather than mere promises.

She also commended UNFPA, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), the United Nations Youth Office, and the governments and organizations that have invested in Liberia’s youth agenda. Her list of thanks reached across the UN system and beyond.

UN And Partners Respond

For her part, Diene Keita, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNFPA, urged young people to be active partners and leaders in shaping peaceful and inclusive societies. She praised Liberia’s ten-year framework aimed at empowering youth regardless of their background or challenges.

“Young people are peacebuilders, they are leaders, they are essential partners, and UNFPA is a proud sponsor of the youth, peace and security agenda,” Keita said. “Investing in young people fosters economic growth and creates stable communities with access to food, contributing to peace and prosperity.”

Keita expressed confidence in Liberia’s readiness to overcome conflict, govern well and create pathways to lasting peace. Her remarks framed the country’s youth as central to that recovery.

Felipe Paullier, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, disclosed that the UN is working to support the voices of young people across regions. He said Liberia’s leadership on youth, peace and security at the Security Council, particularly during its December presidency, is a source of pride that presents an opportunity for an open debate on the agenda.

“We need to create a connection between the real needs everybody has in daily life and connect them to the pathways of sustaining peace, leveraging opportunities for young people in arts, culture, sports and more,” Paullier noted. He underscored the need for young people to take active roles in shaping peace, adding that Liberia is now showing a strong vision.

Par Skold, a counsellor and civilian adviser at the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations, applauded young people for taking responsibility for implementing the youth, peace and security agenda. He urged government institutions to adopt the agenda and give space to unite youth, while highlighting Sweden’s contribution to the development of Liberia’s first national plan and reaffirming its commitment to the agenda.

Nathalie Ndongo-Seh, Director of the Western Africa Division at the DPPA-DPO, said aligning the National Action Plan with PATHWAYs and the ARREST Agenda is essential. She reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) to support Liberia in sharing its experiences with neighbors, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Mano River Union.

Ndongo-Seh also announced that the DPPA will help Liberia present youth, peace and security issues to the Council during its presidency in December. Her pledge tied Liberia’s national plan directly to its month at the head of the Council.

Leymah Gbowee, the 2011 Nobel Peace laureate and founder of the Gbowee Peace Foundation, admonished young people to embrace the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ PATHWAYs vision by familiarizing themselves with its contents. She recommended hosting town hall meetings nationwide to spread the message.

Gbowee urged the government to provide 50 percent funding for the implementation of the PATHWAYs Reform agenda in order to inspire partner investment. She framed domestic money as the signal that would draw external support.

Ibrahim Sannoh, Minister of Youth Affairs of Sierra Leone, expressed support for Liberia’s vision for youth, peace and security, deeming it a beacon of hope. “We are collectively committing to the YPS agenda, turning fragility into a foundation for residents and transforming the scars of war into a testament of change,” he said.

Related: Women’s Tech Hubs

In a related development on the sidelines of the General Assembly, United States technology leaders Cybastion and Cisco, in partnership with Liberia’s Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, announced the launch of the Liberia Women’s Digital and Economic Empowerment Program. The initiative establishes women’s business technology hubs with modern daycare centers in the West African nation.

Under the arrangement, Cybastion is partnering with the ministry to establish technology business campuses that strengthen women’s entrepreneurial and technological skills through structured training pathways. Organizers said the hubs will help Liberian women farmers boost agricultural production and processing, strengthen business management, access market and weather information, connect with financial services and participate in broader supply chains.

Liberian women in key districts will receive technical training through the Cisco Networking Academy, along with mentorship and digital tools. Each campus will be equipped with a modern daycare center to support mothers as they pursue the training.

Cybastion President and Chief Executive Officer Thierry Wandji set the initiative in context and outlined its aim to boost agricultural production and processing and expand access to market and weather information through technology, including artificial-intelligence tools. Cisco Executive Vice President and Chief People, Policy and Purpose Officer Fran Katsoudas highlighted the partnership among Cisco, Cybastion and Theya to build digital skills.

Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection Gbeme Horace Kollie delivered high-level remarks and joined Wandji in signing the formal partnership agreement.

A representative of the Bureau of African Affairs at the United States Department of State affirmed the United States-Liberia partnership, noting how the hubs would equip women farmers with the technology, training and market access to strengthen rural communities and economic growth.