Foreign Ministers Hail Liberia’s Women As Model For Peace at UN

Published: September 21, 2026

Foreign officials praised Liberian women’s peacebuilding leadership during a high-level event at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

MONROVIA – Foreign governments from Europe, Africa and Latin America held up Liberia as proof that women can end wars, as Morocco proposed that Liberia join a continent-wide exchange among nearly 30 African countries that now have national plans on women, peace and security.

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By Lennart Dodoo

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The tributes were delivered at a side event on the margins of the 81st U.N. General Assembly in New York, where President Joseph Boakai launched Liberia’s third national action plan on women, peace and security. Foreign ministers from Austria, Morocco and Sierra Leone, along with envoys from Sweden, France and Costa Rica, a Serbian government minister and a former prime minister of Uganda, spoke.

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“Two decades ago Liberia was a challenge for the international community, for its people and for its region,” Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said. “Today Liberia is a source of inspiration for many.”

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Morocco: time for Africa to coordinate

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Bourita, who conveyed greetings from King Mohammed VI, said Liberia had moved from a problem to a pole of stability in its region, and that its election to the U.N. Security Council recognized that “Liberia is back and its diplomacy is back.” He credited Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti, whom he called “my sister Sara,” and Boakai’s leadership for projecting the image of a new, stable Liberia.

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He then made a proposal. With almost 30 African countries having adopted national action plans, he said it may be time for them to coordinate, share experiences, and identify best practices. Morocco is ready to do so with Liberia and other African countries.

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“There will be no peace, no stability, no development in our continent without the clear involvement of women,” he said.

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Austria: women as architects of peace

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Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said few countries embody the journey from pioneers to global leaders as profoundly as Liberia, the event’s theme.

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“Their courage showed the world that women are not merely beneficiaries of peace, they are its architects,” she said of the Liberian women who mobilized to end the war.

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She quoted a phrase used by Liberian activists: “Long before Resolution 1325 came into being, we were already doing 1325.” Austria, also serving on the Security Council, is drafting its own new national action plan and drawing on the experience of partners such as Liberia, she said.

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“Our task is now to match their leadership with our political commitment, our resources, and of course our action,” she said.

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Sweden: a longtime partner with a message

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Sweden’s envoy, delivering a statement on behalf of Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard, said Liberia’s example was powerful not only for the women who stood for peace during the war but for what came next: turning that leadership into lasting commitments and institutions.

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Sweden chairs the Liberia configuration of the U.N. Peacebuilding Commission and is a bilateral development partner. The envoy said that long partnership had taught one lesson.

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“Peacebuilding works best when it’s locally anchored and nationally led,” the envoy said, adding that diverging national and local priorities can create tension, underscoring the importance of Liberia’s democratic system for sustaining its gains. “The rule of law is the foundation, and civil society is the engine.”

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The envoy warned that globally, women remain excluded from peace processes, civic space is shrinking and there is a worrying backlash against gender equality, and said Liberia’s Peace Huts and women-led networks offer “a different story.”

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Sierra Leone: from the table to shaping it

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Sierra Leone’s foreign minister said Liberia’s story had inspired his country, the Mano River Union and the continent, and pointed to the two neighbors’ shared history.

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As Mano River Union members that have experienced both conflict and peace, he said, the two countries “have literally been to hell and back” and can show the strength of regional unity. He said Sierra Leone launched its own third national action plan in 2024, running to 2028, and passed a law banning child marriage the same year.

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“Let us move forward from women simply being at the table to women shaping the table,” he said.

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He said the next phase must prioritize influence, resources and accountability, with protection for women human rights defenders and clear pathways for young women into diplomacy, mediation and security.

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Uganda: ‘the missing element’

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Ruhakana Rugunda, a former prime minister of Uganda who visited Liberia 20 years ago as his country’s U.N. ambassador on a Security Council mission, said he was extremely happy to hear the testimony of a country that had been “literally emerging from pieces.”

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He credited the Liberian-led Women’s Situation Room, which he said came to Uganda about 10 years ago, with helping the country prepare for a peaceful election. And he raised a question for the continent: why peacebuilding efforts in many other African countries have failed. The missing element, he suggested, may be the participation of women.

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“This matter should be thoroughly studied,” he said.

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Costa Rica, France and Serbia

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Costa Rica’s envoy said Liberia showed what can happen when women’s leadership is recognized and supported, and called for the agenda to confront new threats, including disinformation, cyber threats and the misuse of artificial intelligence against women and girls.

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“Peace is not only negotiated, peace is nurtured,” the envoy said.

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France’s envoy said France adopted its fourth national action plan in March 2026 and supports sanctions criteria against perpetrators of sexual violence in Security Council regimes. Serbia’s minister for gender equality said her country adopted its third plan in 2025, building on a process that began in 2010, and was ready to learn from Liberia’s journey.