Ambassadorial-Level Meeting of the Peacebuilding Commission Liberia Configuration - November 2022

On 14 November 2022, H.E. Ms. Anna Karin Eneström, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations and Chair of the Liberia Configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), convened an ambassadorial-level meeting for the Government of Liberia and international partners on preparations for the 2023 legislative and presidential elections in Liberia.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the status of electoral planning and preparations and identify key priority areas and challenges, requiring continued support and coordination, to further consolidate and sustain peace in Liberia through the holding of peaceful, transparent, and inclusive democratic elections.

Highlighted on the agenda was the issue of women political participation and representation. Women in Liberia continue to be severely underrepresented in politics. Currently, there are nine (9) women out of 73 members forming the House of Representatives, and only two (2) women out of 30 Liberian Senators. A revised New Elections bill included provisions on a 30 per cent gender quota for senior political party leadership and candidate listings in elections and was passed by the House and Senate on 13 and 15 September respectively.  The bill remains to be signed by the President. Targeted forms of violence and threats against women in elections and politics (VAWIE/P) is a serious issue and further limits women’s opportunities for political participation, including as relates to the upcoming 2023 general elections.

The Peacebuilding Commission supports efforts to ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in peacebuilding and political processes, including calling for support for the institutional development of the NEC, in conjunction with promoting women’s participation in the electoral process, in cooperation with the UNDP electoral assistance project.

The PBF is supporting several initiatives with a view to contributing to a more peaceful electoral environment before, during, and after the 2023 elections. These projects focus on both early warning and prevention of potential triggers of conflict to mitigate possible electoral violence and on fostering greater participation by women and young people in the electoral process. Through a USD 2 million UN Women and UNDP initiative, the PBF support aims to promote greater participation of women in various electoral and governance processes and to seek better prevention and response to electoral related violence against women. The PBF has also recently approved a USD 3 million project, through UNDP, OHCHR and IOM, which further aims to strengthen electoral violence prevention initiatives and focuses on strengthening the policy and institutional environment for a more inclusive and effective Early Warning and Response (EWER) mechanism, including by mainstreaming of human rights, gender, and youth-based approaches. This project will pay particular attention to the perceived issue of ‘electoral trucking’ and will work with border communities and institutions to better understand and address this issue to help ensure it does not trigger electoral violence. Finally, the project will aim to address the increasing risk of misinformation and hate speech around the elections through community dialogue and digital tools.