Liberia recorded another significant milestone in its fight against female genital mutilation (FGM) as former practitioners from Nimba County, in northern Liberia handed over traditional tools they used to perform FGM to signal an end to practice. The traditional ceremony took place on Friday, 27 October 2023, at the Gbanquoi Vocational and Heritage Centre constructed by UN Women under the auspicies of the European Union and United Nations Spotlight Initiative.   The ceremony marked a moment of transformation as former traditional practitioners, clad in white headgear and carrying containers draped in white cloths, surrendered their tools to Chief Zanzan Karwor, the Chairperson of the National Council of Chiefs and Elders of Liberia.   Various stakeholders, including representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, the Embassy of Sweden, UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA, civil society organizations, local authorities from Nimba, and traditional practitioners from various counties across Liberia, witnessed the ceremony.   Nimba has become the fourth out of the eleven counties where FGM is practiced to conduct traditional rituals to effectively end the practice. Other traditional ceremonies to end FGM have to date been held in Montserrado, Grand Cape Mount, and Bong Counties. This achievement aligns with Chief Zanzan Karwor's landmark proclamation on 06 February 2023, to ban FGM throughout Liberia.   The ban entails putting an end to the harmful practice of cutting women and girls while upholding positive cultural practices, such as singing, dancing, and weaving, among others. This is now widely known as ‘initiation without mutilation.’   Chief Zanzan Karwor reaffirmed traditional leaders' commitment to abandon the FGM practice in Liberia, while Ambassador Juli Endee, Executive Director for Crusaders of Peace and cultural Queen of Liberia, emphasised that traditional leaders chose to end FGM voluntarily, driven by their belief in doing the right thing to accelerate development.   Ambassador Juli Endee expressed her deep appreciation to development partners for the support. She acknowledged the importance of reaching out to the ‘real people,’ the traditional leaders and the Zoes (traditional practitioners) to ensure the success of this transformative process.   Comfort Lamptey, UN Women Country Representative for Liberia, applauded Chief Zanzan Karwor for his leadership and commitment as well as embracing change, safeguarding the cultural passage rites of women and girls without the harmful effects of FGM.   She highlighted that Nimba County has one of the four vocational and heritage centres established with the support of the European Union and United Nations through the Spotlight Initiative. These centres aim to provide former traditional practitioners of FGM with alternative economic livelihood programs while preserving cultural heritage without FGM.   Nimba county authorities expressed their appreciation for the construction of heritage centres and urged former practitioners to utilize these centres for empowerment activities, ensuring they serve their intended purpose.   In addition, the Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Hon. Parleh Harris, expressed her gratitude to all stakeholders, including traditional leaders, for their courage in ending FGM. She encouraged everyone to move forward with unwavering determination, as the practice has now been banned. “We will now be telling our story to other countries about how we did it,” she said. UN Women is supporting the roll out of the ban on FGM with funding from the Government of Sweden.

Speaking at the event, UN Resident Coordinator, Madame Christine N. Umutoni, commended Liberia for its successful transition from being reliant on peacekeeping assistance to becoming a development partner of the UN. This recognition reflects the country’s significant progress in post-conflict recovery and demonstrates its commitment to sustainable development initiatives. This year's UN Day celebration in Liberia coincided with the successful completion of the first round of the country's general elections, which were nationally owned and largely funded by Liberia itself. The UN Resident Coordinator further noted, “during the first round of elections this year the population turned up in large numbers – (the percentage is one of the highest in the region in recent times), we noted the involvement of so many young people and more than 52% registered women voters speaks volume. It signified Liberians’ collective aspiration for a bright and prosperous future and shows a high sense of responsibility. Young people in Liberia constitute 75% of Liberia’s population, are the present and the future, and their active engagement in national processes including political participation is a demonstration of their nationalism and patriotism – essential foundations for the long-term development and stability of the nation." Madam Umutoni also read out  the UN Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres’ UN Day Remark: “The United Nations is a reflection of the world as it is – and an aspiration of the world we know it can be. “It is our responsibility to help build that world of peace, sustainable development and human rights for all. “I know we can do it. The Charter of the United Nations – which entered into force 78 years ago today – points the way. “Above all, it is rooted in a spirit of determination to heal divisions, repair relations, and build peace. “To expand opportunities and leave no one behind. “To ensure justice, equality and empowerment for women and girls. “To provide life-saving relief to those in need. “And to be flexible enough to address challenges that did not even exist when the UN was born – from the existential climate crisis to the perils and promise of artificial intelligence. “The United Nations is guided by timeless values and principles, but it must never be frozen in time. That is why we must always keep strengthening ways of working and applying a 21st century lens to all we do. “On this United Nations Day, let us commit with hope and determination to build the better world of our aspirations. “Let us commit to a future that lives up to the name of our indispensable organization. “We are a divided world. We can and must be United Nations. The President of Liberia, His Excellency George Manneh Weah was in attendance at the programme where he joined the UN family in Liberia for the observance of the 78th Anniversary. He reminded the audience that the United Nations was established to maintain international peace and security, and to achieve cooperation among nations on economic, social, and humanitarian problems. According to him, this year’s theme, “Rebuilding Trust and Reigniting Solidarity: Accelerating Action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals in Liberia Towards Peace, Prosperity, Progress, and Sustainability for All”, is a clarion call for Liberians to define their priority toward the 2030 Agenda. President Weah announced that Liberia endorsed the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) Initiative, which he said aims to strengthen peacekeeping through more targeted mandate, stronger and safer operations, better equipped and trained forces, and by mobilizing support for political solutions. He said the endorsement is a manifestation of Liberia’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda as reflected within the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD), with major targets including job creation, infrastructure development, industrialization, access to affordable healthcare and education, and the sustenance of peace and security to keep the nation focused on its future development agenda. “It is in this light that my Government has been keen on road connectivity, free education and healthcare delivery,” Dr. Weah said further. “We have also taken care to ensure respect and protection of the inalienable rights of citizens, protection of human rights, press freedom, and the ongoing fight against corruption.” He also highlighted how this year’s celebration falls in line with Liberia’s political season, where Liberians exercise their democratic rights through the elections of October 10 and are poised for runoff election to elect their President on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. He thanked the United Nations and other partners as well as friends for supporting the journey to sustainable democracy.

Comprising 52 dedicated members (out of which 86% are women) hailing from diverse surrounding communities, the cooperative was founded in 2005 and registered as a corporate entity, being incorporated under the Cooperative Development Agency (CDA) in Liberia. It manages a sprawling 65-hectare farmland, nurturing the growth of rice, cassava, and a multitude of other crops. Under the project “Linking Extension and Research to Farmers for Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition,” funded by the European Union (EU), FAO in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Central Agriculture Research Institute (CARI) supported the cooperative to embark on a transformative mission to rice farming practices in the community and in the country, making them more sustainable and productive. The cooperative also set up business service center and established a rice demonstration plot. There, they tested rice seeds and experimented with sustainable planting and harvesting techniques tailored to the characteristics of the rice variety with full support of CARI. side FAO's team of experts also provided hands-on technical training on sustainable crop production practices, post-harvest management, processing and marketing to member farmers. In addition, leadership skills training on business management was designed to empower the farmers with skills directly applicable to manage their farming system as a business activity. The agriculture innovations up-scaling contextually relevant technologies will improve the production of the surrounding communities. Cooperative members are transplanting. ©FAO Seedlings for transplanting. ©FAO Adoption of improved farming methods and practices "We learned from the training how to enhance our farming methods, so we use those methods,” said James P. Yarkpawoo, a production manager WAWMC, who is a graduate from Cuttington University in Liberia with a bachelor’s degree in plant and soil science. He was moved to join the team in 2021 by the cooperative’s strong focus and commitment to succeed. Within the team, he provides technical backstopping, which was lacking in the cooperative, to advance rice production in order to ensure people in the community and the country are adequately fed. James enthusiastically voiced his excitement about the advancements in their farming methods. He explained that they used to overcrowd rice on the nurseries which led to undernourished seedlings and randomly transplanted in rice field. Now, they have optimized it to 20 by 20, 25 by 25, and 30 by 30 centimeters, aligning with the specific requirements of their chosen rice variety. It was on a rainy afternoon, 10 August 2023, that the members of the community were at work on the rice fields. It was an important day for rice transplanting that could not be missed. “Today marks the prime time for transplanting,” James continued. "We've learned that it should be done just after 14-15 days from nursery planting. Previously, we used to transplant after 21 days, but we changed our approach to ensure better yields." “The technical training taught us how to select suitable plots, determine optimal transplanting timing, and more for sustainable agricultural practices. Previously when our rice plants faced overcrowding, we used excessive fertilizers. Now, we've adopted the right spacing for the specific rice variety."     James P. Yarkpawoo (right), Ma Musu Barto, (center), and Varbah Miabah, WAWMC co-chair (left). ©FAO Empowerment of Women through enhanced access to productive resources “Before, women were denied in education,” says Musu Barto, the chairperson of the War Affected Women Multi-Purpose Cooperative, “that is why we started the cooperative to pull women together, to share ideas, for instance on how to take care of our children, how to advocate for rights to own properties.” She is proud of the community and strength that women have gained through the years of hardworking, sharing and collective efforts. “Now, women have access to production resources, and knowledge. We can save money and can send our children to school.” FAO’s technical support to organize and manage Village Saving and Loan Associations (VSLA) for women and set up a warehouse to manage the resources and harvests under previous projects was what they continue to sustain and grow. “Today, we are doing agriculture not only for consuming, but for business. We are supplying to school feeding program, and this has improved our income levels and livelihoods too.” Through the partnership, capacity development programs, and continuous learning on the demonstration ground, they have not only cultivated fields but also sown the seeds of empowerment, and hope in their locality and could inspire change in other places across Liberia.   About the project Project “Linking Extension and Research to Farmers for Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition,” funded by European Union (EU), implemented in 2019-2023. The project aimed at strengthening the linkages between research and extension service providers, higher level education institutions, farmers, and other value chain actors in the country to enhance effective and sustainable agriculture production and promoting food security.

The Orange Digital Center (ODC) in Monrovia, UN Women Liberia, and Orange Foundation, in partnership with National Peace Hut Women of Liberia (NaPHWoL), recently conducted a Training of Trainers for five peace huts community-based facilitators and two days of capacity building for three Chairs from the NaPHWoL in digital and financial literacy, digitized Savings and Loan Association (SLA) model/methodology and Orange Mobile Money. The objective of the training was to strengthen the capacity of the Facilitators by providing knowledge and skills to support the implementation of digital literacy classes for rural women in the two Women Ditial Centers (WDCs) in Bong and Nimba Counties. According to the Women's Economic Empowerment Program Manager, Ramon G. Garway, upon completion of the training, the Facilitators are expected to commence the Cycle Three digital literacy classes for 100 (50 per county) new peace hut women and young girls in Totota, Bong, and Tarr Town, Grand Bassa Counties. He mentioned that over the past two years, UN Women Liberia and Orange Foundation have been working to ensure that the two existing WDCs in Bong and Grand Bassa Counties continue to provide peace hut women with access to digital literacy classes and tools. The intervention will address the gender digital divide and promote digital literacy among peace hut women, which is crucial to ensuring equal participation, empowerment, and access to opportunities in the increasingly digital world. During the training, Aisha Kamara Kolubah, National Project Officer at UN Women, did a presentation on the Buy from Women  (BfW) Platform. According to Ms. Kolubah, the  BfW Platform is a cloud-based enterprise and e-commerce platform that links women farmers and entrepreneurs to market, information, and finance. It addresses the structural barriers faced by women smallholder farmers, equipped entrepreneurs, and small business owners. Lischen Dwuye Kamara, Orange Money Distribution Manager, led the presentation on a step-by-step guide on the operation of Orange Money. These sessions provided knowledge for the Facilitators who will serve as Orange Money Agents to provide extension and advisory on services for BfW and Orange Money activities in the targeted communities. Also, at the training,  Zaza Mulba, the Executive Director of the Orange Digital Center, provided detailed information on the available services at the ODC. The Center provides access to digital technology for young people with or without qualifications. It gives them access to the latest technological skills to strengthen their employability and prepare them for jobs. All of the programs are provided free of charge and open to everyone. They ranged from digital trainings for young people, 90% of which are practical guidance for project bearers, and start-up acceleration.