By Precious D. Freeman
The United Nation (UN) Women Deputy Executive Director, Asa Regner, has reassured of commitment in promoting gender equality and women empowerment in Liberia.
She made the statement during her engagement meeting with the media in Monrovia on Tuesday, June 28, 2022.
Despite challenges, she cited that Liberia has made important strides to advance the rights of women and girls over the past two decades through legislation reforms and targeted programs to eradicate discriminatory barriers and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation.
According to her, the country’s leadership and all stakeholders should foster a common agenda to promote women political participation and take advantage of the 30 percent agenda quota for political party candidates, as Liberia is preparing for the 2023 elections.
“There has been little advancements in Women’s political engagements, leaderships, and representation in national and municipal governance, despite the fact that significant milestones have been reached, since 2006 when it was above 16 percent, there are now less than 11 percent women in legislature,” she noted.
“UN Women is building four vocational and heritage centers in four counties to offer traditional practitioners alternative economic livelihood opportunities in an effort to eradicate FGM in Liberia” she mentioned.
She maintained that the facilities will serve as locations where young women and girls as well as traditional healers can go to learn skills and discover alternative sources of income besides having their genitalia cut.
UN Women boss added that she also spoke with traditional healers who now get aid from the program for alternate economic livelihoods but who once practiced female genital mutilation.
“The spotlight initiatives alternative economic livelihood program which debuted in December 2019, has assisted at least 300 traditional practitioners” she boasted.
The Deputy Executive Director of UN Women was excited to meet with a variety of women’s organizations and young women leaders, among others, to discuss ways to increase women’s involvement in politics and leaderships.
The United Nations organization devoted to empowering women and promoting gender equality is known as Un Women.
Ms. Asa Regner, Assistant Secretary-General of the UN and Deputy Executive Director of the UN Women, has wrapped up her first official tour to Liberia, where she held numerous strategic engagements sessions with a number of high level authorities and women organizations.
Madam Regner visited the vocational and heritage center in Todee, Montserrado County, which was built by UN Women as part of the Spotlight initiative of the European Union and the Government of Liberia during her journey.
UN Women, a global advocate for women and girls was founded to hasten the process of addressing their needs on a globe scale.
The organization seeks to promote gender equality as essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and creating a more accepting society.
