Local NGOs Brainstorm on Women’s Barriers In Leadership -Crave for Increased Legal Support to Female Political Participation

MONROVIA – A number of Liberian nongovernment organizations last Thursday shared notes on how to derive impactful solutions to how barriers faced by the country’s women in ascending to leadership on the local and national levels can be addressed.

During a forum held at the Lutheran Church Compound in Monrovia, various speakers drew their perspectives from a number of national and international instruments, including the Local government Act, UNSCR 1325 pillar two, Maputu Protocol Article 9, and status on the important bills that promote female participation and women rights, the proposed new elections law section 4.5, and strengthening coordination among women’s rights organizations to engage policymakers and stakeholders for actions.

Organized by the Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL), UN Women, the Government of Ireland International Development Programme, Kvinna Kvinna and Sweden Sverige, the discussions were held under the joint engagement project with the theme: “Strengthening Collaboration and Responding to Gender Based violence, Economic empowerment and Increased Representation of Women in Political Leadership at the County and National Levels and Strengthening Women’s Participation in Leadership and Peacebuilding Mechanisms in Liberia”.

Giving an overview of the project, Berttee Forkpabio of WONGOSOL said the discussions centered around networking processes and building consensus, strengthening capacity of network members, women rights focusing on CEDAW protocols and the local government act holding accountable government officials and the act is workable.

Madam Forkpabio further stated that their gathering was also important to directly build national consensus and strengthen coordination for women minimum bill at the Legislature.

She urged those attending the meeting to remain focus and to ask all their burning questions in order to find the way forward then to remain silent or carrying they say and hear say.

Also speaking was commissioner Josephine Kou Gaye of the National Elections Commission who said it is necessary whenever women gather to have discussions on women issues, and that men should be a part for them to carry the message also.

She expressed the hope that the discussion would impact women participation at all levels as they look forward.

For her part, Veronica Songor of the National Civil Society Council of Liberia added that their meeting would lead to future engagements.

According to her, during the project, they were able to discover “champions” that would to help in finding future solutions.

Meanwhile, WONGOSOL’s Region One coordinator, Laura Targbeh Korvah, indicated that they were targeting the barriers that prevent women participation at all levels and what solutions can they find to put an end to them.

She implored participants to remain focus on their objectives as to achieve their goals which include seeing women being represented at all of sectors, both in government and private sectors.