The Ministry of National Defense and UN Women-Liberia, Monday, signed a 2-year project document under the Eslie Initiative Fund to support the recruitment of more females into the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL).
The agreement will enhance strategies to increase the deployment of female personnel in peacekeeping missions and support the up-coming AFL recruitment process, which aims to encourage more women to join the national army.
Specific objectives under the project include increasing the number of females in the AFL; providing pre-deployment training and alertness to female and male AFL officers; and increasing gender awareness and equality in the AFL.
The project will achieve its objectives through activities such as special pre-recruitment training for females; national recruitment campaigns targeting women; visits to secondary and tertiary institutions to encourage young women to join the AFL; establishing and equipping a pre-deployment training center; and capacity building for the gender unit/department and developing a communication strategy for the AFL.
During the signing ceremony, UN Women Liberia Country Representative, Comfort Lamptey, stated that the fund will facilitate recruitment messaging in all 15 counties, equip training facilities, and provide support to the MoD/AFL Gender Department, publication of AFL recruit applicants in newspapers and billboards, and digital training for female soldiers among others.
The UN Women boss to Liberia emphasized that the project positions Liberia as a model for the promotion of Women Peace and Security as the country gears up to sit as a Nonpermanent member on the United Nations Security Council.
“This project puts Liberia as a trailblazer for women’s presence and contributions to peace and security.”
She thanked the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff for their leadership in this process and pledged UN Women’s continuous support to the AFL and MOD. She further noted that the human rights test conducted on the AFL yielded positive results, leading to the approval of a little above $650,000 project for two years beginning January 2026.
The Country Representative of UN Women, Comfort Lamptey, praised the Defense Minister for her efforts and promised continued partnership with the Ministry of Defense and AFL.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, the Minister of Defense, Brig Gen Geraldine Janet George (Rtd.), thanked UN Women Liberia for the partnership and assured that the Ministry of Defense and AFL will continue to work together to ensure the welfare of women in the AFL.
Minister Geraldine George also credited the partnership agreement to then Minister Daniel Ziankan and Chief of Staff Prince C. Johnson, III, whom she said initiated the process.
At the same, the defense boss has revealed on-going discussions with the Chief of Staff to consider future plans for an all-female recruitment drive, which will encourage more women to join the force.
As the first female Defense Minister, George-Johnson pledged to lead the campaign during the up-coming recruitment exercise as a means of motivating young Liberian women aspiring to get enlisted into the Armed Forces.
For his part, the Chief of Staff of the AFL, Maj. Gen. Davidson Forleh, also thanked UN Women and assured that the fund will be utilized effectively. He disclosed that there will be exclusive per-recruit training for females before the actual recruitment exercise.
In September 2022, the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), in partnership with UN Women Liberia, undertook a comprehensive barrier assessment using the Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peace Operations (MOWIP) methodology developed by the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) to better understand the challenges affecting women’s meaningful participation in United Nations Peace Operations, identifying key areas for improvement, including increasing the number of female personnel, providing access to equipment and childcare services, and addressing gender-based barriers.