By Stephen G. Fellajuahs
Monrovia, Liberia, August 13, 2026 — The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with support from the Embassy of Ireland in Liberia, have jointly relaunched the U-Report platform.
The program aimed to provide children, adolescents and young people with a safe and accessible channel to express their views and influence decisions affecting their lives.
The platform allows young people to participate in surveys, access trusted information, report concerns and provide feedback on programs and policies affecting their communities.
It is also intended to ensure that children and young people who are often excluded from decision-making processes have an opportunity to contribute their opinions.
The relaunch took place Thursday, August 13, in Monrovia under the theme, “Nurture, Empower, Protect (NEP): Harnessing the Full Potential of Adolescent Girls in Liberia.”
The event brought together representatives from UNICEF Liberia, UNFPA, the Adolescent Girls Advisory Panel, the Liberia National Children’s Forum, the Ministry of Health, and other stakeholders.
The renewed U-Report initiative is expected to reach at least 8,000 young people across Liberia, who will serve as youth reporters and ambassadors by providing feedback on the implementation and impact of programs targeting adolescents and young people.
Liberian youth can access U-Report using an Orange SIM card by texting “JOIN” to 5858, making the platform accessible to those using basic mobile phones. The system is also designed with encryption to allow users to express their views freely and safely without fear of being pursued.
The program also enables partners to conduct polls on issues including health, water and sanitation, sexual and reproductive health and other social concerns. Responses can be analyzed by location, including county, helping policymakers and development partners identify where particular challenges are concentrated and better target interventions.
In remarks at the ceremony, UNICEF Deputy Representative for Programmes, Amadou A. Cisse, described the relaunch as an important milestone in promoting meaningful participation by children and young people.
Cisse encouraged the young participants to take ownership of the platform and become ambassadors for Liberian children and adolescents.
He added that the U-Report relaunch forms part of the broader NEP Joint Program being implemented by UNICEF, UNFPA and the Government of Liberia, with support from Ireland, to nurture, empower and protect adolescent girls.
UNFPA, Data and Evidence Specialist Chea Sanford Wesseh expressed appreciation to UNICEF for the initiative, noting U-Report would strengthen young people’s access to information and community reporting.
Wesseh urged young people to use the platform responsibly and encourage their peers to participate.
Satta T. Massaley Sow, School Health Coordinator in the Ministry’s Family Health Division, noted that the platform would help ensure that adolescents have access to accurate information about their health and rights.
Representatives of youth and children’s organizations also indicated that the U-Report would give adolescent girls greater opportunity to speak about mental health and other health concerns.
In separate remarks, Grace V. Kamara of the Adolescent Girls Advisory Panel and Fanell Decontee Dewee of SAUTI Voices urged adolescent girls to become U-Report ambassadors and use the platform to access information on issues including menstrual health.
Corina D. Ker Kula, representative of Liberian National Children Forum, on behalf of Liberia’s more than 2.5 million children, thanked UNICEF for creating a platform capable of reaching children across the country.
The relaunch represents a renewed effort to move youth participation beyond consultation toward a system in which children’s and adolescents’ opinions are regularly collected, analyzed and incorporated into programs and policies affecting their lives.
