The Queen of the Belgians Pays a Virtual Visit to the UN Country Team In Liberia

Led by UN Resident Coordinator Niels Scott, the team brought the Queen together with young Liberian girls and youth via a video conference, who directly spoke on adolescent health, teenage pregnancies, substance abuse, mental health challenges, and their aspirations.

Liberia is one of the youngest countries in the world, where 63 percent of the population is below 25 years old. Three out of 10 girls get pregnant before 18. Four out of 5 sexual and gender-based violence survivors are girls. It is estimated that one out of five Liberians experiences mild or moderate mental health issues.

One of the participants explained to Queen Mathilde the severe challenges she has faced with being a teenage mother in Liberia, saying she can’t attend school and associate freely with her peers because of the stigma around teenage mothers. However, she emphasized that her dream for the future is to go back to school and become a lawyer.

Resident Niels Scott noted “these are the challenges and hope embodied by many Liberian youths and their peers- challenges in mental and reproductive health, which the UNCT in Liberia would like to highlight”.

The UN DCO Regional Director for Africa, a.i Yacoub Ali El-Hillo, followed these remarks by stating, “A steep rise in mental health, adolescent pregnancies and child marriages is not just an issue in Liberia. These are Africa’s problem”. Mr. El-Hillo also noted that “underlying problems with our essential healthcare stem from inequality, underfunding, complacency, and neglect. By addressing these fundamental issues and bolstering primary health care systems and universal health coverage, the countries will grow faster and recover more quickly from the COVID-19 pandemic”.

Queen Mathilde, in turn, expressed her appreciation to both the UN Country Team and the young girls and youth. Resident Coordinator Scott stressed the need to address the fundamental issues related to health care systems and bolster universal health coverage to support those that are left behind.