Published: September 16, 2026
By: Destiny Jabula
MONROVIA — UN Women is about to open a new chapter of empowerment for Women’s Rights Groups as it allocates 40% of its US$3 million initiative.
UN Women said it has launched the US$3 million, three-year initiative to strengthen women’s leadership, gender-responsive justice and inclusive peacebuilding in Liberia, with more than 40 percent of program resources set to go directly to Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs).
The UN gender organization said it launched the Gender Promotion Initiative (GPI) 2.0 in partnership with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Liberia, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and Kvinna till Kvinna.
The initiative, funded by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, will run from April 2026 to April 2029 and will be implemented nationally and in five priority counties—Montserrado, Lofa, Nimba, Grand Gedeh and Grand Cape Mount.
According to United Nations’ agency, GPI 2.0 will focus on strengthening women’s leadership and participation in decision-making, gender-responsive justice and accountability, inclusive peacebuilding and social cohesion, as well as gender-responsive governance and transitional justice.
A key feature of the initiative, the international agency said, is its direct investment in Women’s Rights Organizations, with more than 40 percent of program resources going to WROs through sub-grants. It continued that the support will strengthen the capacity of women’s rights organizations in advocacy, mediation, conflict prevention, reconciliation, negotiation, project management and resource mobilization.
The initiative will also support government institutions, including the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court (OWECC), the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
The support is expected to strengthen gender-responsive planning, budgeting, accountability and evidence-based decision-making within the targeted institutions.
UN Resident Coordinator Christine Umutoni emphasized that Liberian women must be recognized not only as those affected by conflict, but also as decision-makers and partners shaping Liberia’s path toward accountability, healing and lasting peace. Umutoni stressed the importance of ensuring that women play a meaningful role in shaping the country’s peacebuilding and accountability processes.
Meanwhile, UN Women Country Representative Monjurul Kabir said the success of GPI 2.0 will be measured through stronger institutions, empowered women’s organizations and greater participation of women in decision-making. Kabir also identified increased trust in justice and peacebuilding processes as another measure of the initiative’s success.
UN Women concluded that GPI 2.0 is intended to build on Liberia’s efforts to advance gender equality while strengthening the participation and influence of women and women-led organizations in governance, justice, and peacebuilding processes.
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