Liberian women have the courage and strength to bring about change for the better in their country. This could be concluded from the International Colloquium: Women's Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security in Monrovia, Liberia from the 7th - 10th March.

The Colloquium was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Gender and Development, with support from the UN in Liberia, regional organisations, individuals and private sector sponsorship, as well as the Danish Refugee Council.

The international component of the Colloquium, 7th- 8th March, brought together women heads of state and UN agencies, women government ministers and leaders of women’s peace and development initiatives. They discussed women’s leadership, economic empowerment, and role in peace and security, as embodied in UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

In an impressive manifestation of the participation of all women that the UN Resolution 1325 calls for, Liberian women were present in force throughout the Colloquium, not least for the 9th and 10th March when the Colloquium launched into its National Dimension. The goal of these two days was to extend the benefits of the discussions to a greater number of Liberian women, ensuring that all participants had the opportunity to draw attention to the Liberian perspective on issues discussed.

The Liberian National Action Plan for UN Resolution 1325 was launched at the Colloquium- the first to be completed in Africa. Other key discussion topics included the sustainability of gender empowerment programmes, including the participation of women in leadership at all levels, the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, and the protection of women from abuse.

Liberian women community leaders, traditional women leaders and members of national and regional peace networks joined Liberian government ministers and the Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for two further days of stimulating discussions.

Liberian women are known for their strength and pragmatism, which carried them through 14 years of civil conflict to take the initiative in a massive push for peace that brought them all the way to Ghana to protest the incessant war, and provoke the peace negotiations into action.

At the Colloquium too, they demonstrated this pragmatism as they stood in front of Government ministers to explain that, for example, while they are willing to report sexual violence and seek medical treatment in its aftermath, the reality in much of rural Liberia is that of 8 hour walks to legal or medical facilities where fees to report or treat such violence are prohibitive. Time and time again, women stressed that practical attitudes and measures are needed to enable countries like Liberia to implement well-intentioned recommendations, and together generated concrete recommendations and commitments for Liberia to follow in the coming years.

Women Building Peace
The Peace Corps women had the chance to meet international women at the Colloquium; according to the group, the women now feel more linked to the outside world. Victoria Kossigbo, Chairlady of Ganta Peace Corps, explained that it was inspiring to hear women from Sierra Leone and Uganda speaking about women’s participation: “I’m interested to hear about all women,” she said.

One rural woman demonstrated the courage of Liberian women, when she stood up before the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Jordan Ryan in a discussion on Millennium Development Goal 3, the Empowerment of Women, to describe how her granddaughter had been raped at the age of 9 and had died as a result. Liberia faces staggering levels of violence against women, from domestic abuse to sexual violence.

The bravery of a woman to stand and tell the story of a young girl’s suffering reminded all participants that while Liberian women continue to suffer tremendously, even in the country’s first ‘peace time’ since the 1980s, it is also Liberian women who have the courage and strength to bring about change for the better in their country.

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