Liberia  Liberia, meaning “Land of the Free,” was founded by a small group of American slaves in 1847. Since 1980, the country has suffered at the hands of corrupt leaders and brutal regimes. Since the signing of a peace agreement in 2003, Liberians have been working to heal the wounds of 14 years of civil war, which displaced nearly half of the country's three million people, left up to 250,000 dead, and destroyed their country's economy and infrastructure. Elected in 2005 as the country's and continent's first female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has pledged to transform adversity into opportunity, and to renew the promises upon which Liberia was founded: freedom, equality, unity, and individual progress.
Inclusive Security’s Work in Liberia
At the invitation of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Ambassador Hunt and a team of policy experts from The Initiative for Inclusive Security made their third trip to Liberia in October of 2007 to lead a series of consultations and workshops designed to advance women’s engagement in security sector reform. In partnership with the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, Ambassador Swanee Hunt, director of WAPPP and chair of Inclusive Security, led discussions with ministry officials and parliamentarians about the importance of advocating for policies that incorporate the perspectives and expertise of women in governance and society. Staff met with members of the all female Indian police unit in Liberia as well as attending a celebration of Rural Women's Day.Drawing on the success of female police units in Liberia and Afghanistan, The Initiative for Inclusive Security, in partnership with the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) at the US Department of State and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, convened a consultation in June 2007 in Washington, DC to increase the recruitment of US policewomen. Female officers currently serving in Liberia and Afghanistan joined leaders of the National Center on Women and Policing, the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, the International Association of Women Police, private contractors and others to improve incentives for women applicants, facilitating their recruitment, and improving outreach.
In May of 2007, Inclusive Security convened seven women legislators and ministers from Liberia and Uganda in New York City for an opportunity to share their insights with representatives from the United Nations, the African Union, and non-governmental organizations such as International Crisis Group. The women, all members of the Women Waging Peace Network, participated in trainings on communication strategies and had the opportunity to partake in International Crisis Group’s round table discussion on the role of women in building peace and security in Africa. The May training was not the first time that Inclusive Security connected Liberian women with representatives from international groups and NGOs. In February 2007, the Initiative for Inclusive Security, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), and the World Bank, hosted 19 Liberian women government and civil society leaders for a one-day symposium on gender in Washington, DC. The symposium enabled the women to craft recommendations on ways women can help consolidate peace and lead reconstruction in Liberia. Their agenda was delivered to the Liberia Partners' Forum on February 13 and 14 at the World Bank. Inclusive Security visited Liberia in December 2006, convening Liberian civil society leaders for a two-day consultation in Monrovia, Consolidating Peace: The Critical Role of Women in Rebuilding Liberia. The meeting was part of a visit led by Ambassador Hunt, and undertaken in partnership with the Women and Public Policy Program of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. In addition to the consultation, the delegation advocated to multilateral and bilateral aid donors around women leader’s priorities; provided training for staff of the Liberian Government in gender mainstreaming and operations; and consulted with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and members of her Cabinet regarding opportunities for engaging Liberian women. Inclusive Security Consultations and Trainings
Liberia Consultation, October 2007
Wanted: US Policewomen for Overseas Missions, June 2007
Liberian and Ugandan Women Peace Leaders Training, May 2007
Liberia Gender Symposium, February 2007
Liberia Consultation, December 2006
Inclusive Security Recommendations
Click here for recommendations developed during Colloquium 2008.
Below are recommendations that participants developed as a result of the February 2007 Liberia Gender Symposium:
Priorities for Reconstruction: Input to the Liberian Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy (IPRS)
Below are recommendations that workshop participants developed as a result of the December 2006 Liberia Consultations:
Women Civil Society Leaders' Recommendations for the Government of Liberia and the International Community
Click here for the recommendations from the June 20, 2007, consultation convened by The Initiative for Inclusive Security and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, with support from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the U.S. Department of State.
Directory of Women Peace Experts
Learn more about Waging member President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and other Liberian members of the Women Waging Peace Network. Press Releases & Media Coverage
Leaders from Afghanistan, Colombia, Haiti, Israel, Liberia and Palestine to Convene in Cambridge, Mass. and Washington, D.C.
December 12, 2007
Ambassador Swanee Hunt Leads Team of Experts to Liberia
October 15, 2007 Liberian and Ugandan Women Share Experiences and Insights on Security
May 10, 2007
Conflict Background
BBC Country Profile
International Crisis Group
United States Institute of Peace
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