Boakai Ties New Women, Peace and Security Plan to Concrete Budgets and Targets
The United Nations Secretariat Building in New York (file photo). Photo: Steve Cadman, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
President Boakai launched Liberia's third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security at the United Nations, pledging funding and measurable targets rather than broad commitments alone, as Liberia uses its new UN Security Council seat to press the agenda.
President Joseph Boakai launched Liberia's third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, presenting it as a plan bound to specific budgets and measurable targets rather than a general statement of intent. Liberia has framed the launch as part of a broader effort to position itself as a voice for women in global peacebuilding, building on the country's history as the birthplace of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning "peace hut" movement.
The plan was unveiled as Liberia uses its newly won non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, which it began holding in 2026 after a 62-year absence from the body, to press the women, peace and security agenda internationally. Officials have described the plan as pledging concrete funding commitments tied to implementation timelines, a shift from earlier action plans that set broader goals without the same budgetary detail.
The launch coincided with Boakai's wider address to the General Assembly, in which he outlined an US$8.3 billion development agenda and reaffirmed commitments to women's empowerment. Liberia's government has also used its General Assembly presence this year to advocate for UN Security Council reform and to raise Liberia-specific priorities before the international community.
Women's rights advocates in Liberia have welcomed the emphasis on measurable targets and funding, while noting that previous national action plans have at times struggled with implementation and follow-through at the county level. Liberia Today will report on how the plan's specific budget commitments are rolled out domestically in the coming months.