MONROVIA — The Women NGOs Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL) has called on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to place women’s leadership, transitional justice and reconciliation at the center of Liberia’s efforts to restore public trust and consolidate peace.
The call comes in response to President Boakai’s address to the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 24, where he spoke on restoring trust, managing transformation, strengthening multilateralism, advancing peace and security, inclusive development and reform of global governance.
While welcoming the President’s recognition of women’s leadership as important to sustainable peace, economic growth and accountable governance, WONGOSOL said Liberia’s message to the international community could have gone further by explicitly addressing the country’s transitional justice process and the role of women in peacebuilding, justice and reconciliation.
“Liberia’s journey from conflict to constitutional democracy cannot be fully understood without acknowledging the contributions of women to peacebuilding, the experiences of victims and survivors, and the unfinished work of transitional justice,” said Esther S. Davis Yango, Executive Director of WONGOSOL.
Women Must Move From Recognition to Decision-Making
WONGOSOL said the President’s emphasis on preventive diplomacy, mediation and early warning must be matched by meaningful participation of women in those processes.
According to the organization, Liberia’s history demonstrates that women have played critical roles not only as victims of conflict, but also as peacebuilders, mediators, community leaders, early-warning actors and advocates for reconciliation.
The organization is therefore calling for Liberia’s Women, Peace and Security commitments to move beyond recognition toward implementation, financing, participation and accountability.
WONGOSOL said women should be fully integrated into the structures through which conflict prevention and sustainable peace are designed and implemented.
The call comes as Liberia has also launched its third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, with the government hosting a high-level side event on the margins of the 81st UNGA under the theme, “From Pioneers to Global Leaders: Liberia’s Journey in Women, Peace and Security.”
WONGOSOL Demands Resources Behind Gender Commitments
WONGOSOL also challenged government to translate commitments on women’s leadership into tangible access to political decision-making, economic resources, security institutions, peace processes and national development planning.
The organization referenced President Boakai’s statement that, “When women lead, peace agreements last longer, economies grow faster, and governance becomes more accountable.”
But WONGOSOL stressed that such commitments must be supported by adequate and predictable financing, implementation plans and affirmative legislative and governance reforms.
“Commitments without resources, implementation mechanisms and accountability cannot become sustainable policy,” the organization said.
Transitional Justice at the Center of National Reconciliation
One of WONGOSOL’s strongest concerns is what it described as the limited explicit attention given to transitional justice in the President’s formal UNGA address.
The organization noted that the address focused heavily on restoring trust, strengthening institutions, accountability, the rule of law and Liberia’s transition from conflict to constitutional democracy—issues it says are closely linked to the country’s transitional justice agenda.
WONGOSOL said the address could have highlighted Liberia’s outstanding transitional justice priorities, including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, accountability for conflict-era crimes, victims and survivors, reparations, reconciliation and memorialization.
The organization is particularly urging government to clearly articulate what is required to establish and operationalize the War and Economic Crimes Court (WECC) and strengthen the Office of War and Economic Crimes Courts (OWECC).
It also called for sustained political commitment, adequate funding, institutional capacity and meaningful engagement with victims, survivors and civil society.
“The UN General Assembly was a significant opportunity for Liberia to tell the world not only that we are committed to transitional justice, but also what it will take to deliver it,” Yango said.
She added that establishing and operationalizing the War and Economic Crimes Court and successfully transitioning the OWECC into a viable judicial entity would require sustained political commitment, adequate resources, institutional capacity and meaningful engagement with victims, survivors and civil society.
WONGOSOL further called for strengthening the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission as part of a broader accountability and rule-of-law framework.
Calls for Gender-Responsive Transitional Justice
WONGOSOL said Liberia’s transitional justice process must also respond directly to the experiences of women and girls affected by the civil conflict.
The organization is calling for the meaningful participation of women victims and survivors, recognition and documentation of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, gender-responsive reparations and survivor-centered approaches to justice.
It also wants stronger protection for victims, witnesses and survivors; preservation of women’s testimonies and historical records; meaningful participation of women in truth-seeking and reconciliation; and memorialization initiatives that recognize women’s experiences.
According to WONGOSOL, women must not be remembered solely as victims of Liberia’s conflicts but also recognized as agents of peace, justice and national transformation.
The organization is further calling for initial start-up funding for the War and Economic Crimes Court and the National Anti-Corruption Commission to be intentionally provided for within the national budget, alongside the establishment of a National Reparations Trust Fund.
Development Must Also Deliver for Women
WONGOSOL also wants Liberia’s ARREST Agenda and other national development initiatives implemented through a gender-responsive approach.
It said sectors including agriculture, infrastructure, education, rule of law, sanitation and tourism directly affect women and girls and should therefore address structural barriers to land, finance, markets, education, technology, justice and decision-making.
The organization is calling for practical affirmative measures to ensure that national development policies produce measurable improvements in the lives of women and girls.
It also urged government to ensure that climate action recognizes the particular vulnerabilities of women while supporting their leadership in building community resilience.
‘Restoring Trust Requires Justice’
WONGOSOL said Liberia has an opportunity to draw on its history and experience to strengthen its voice in global discussions on peacebuilding, women’s leadership, reconciliation and democratic recovery.
As Liberia calls for a United Nations that “delivers for all,” the organization said the definition of “all” must include women, victims and survivors, young people, rural communities and others historically excluded from decision-making.
WONGOSOL acknowledged President Boakai’s UNGA message as an important foundation but said international commitments must now be translated into measurable action at home.
The organization is calling for clear implementation measures and technically competent bodies insulated from political interference to mobilize the expertise and resources needed to advance Liberia’s national priorities.
“Restoring trust requires justice. Managing transformation requires inclusion. Sustaining peace requires women’s leadership. And reconciliation requires that we confront the past while building a more inclusive future,” Yango said.
WONGOSOL maintains that gender equality, Women, Peace and Security, transitional justice, accountability and reconciliation should be treated as interconnected pillars of Liberia’s democratic transformation.
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