GANTA CITY, Nimba County — In a room filled with young Liberians from across the country, one message was clear: giving young people a seat at the table is not enough if their voices are not heard when decisions about peace and Liberia’s future are being made.
By Patience M. Jones,[email protected]
That message echoed throughout the Liberia Youth, Peace and Security Conference held Monday in Ganta City, Nimba County, where more than 100 participants, including young women, women from peace hut structures, government representatives, civil society actors, youth groups, development partners and community representatives, gathered to discuss Liberia’s peace and security future.
The conference was organized under the PeaceGen Project, funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Embassy of Ireland in Liberia. The project focuses on strengthening the meaningful participation and leadership of women and young people in peacebuilding, transitional justice, memorialization and accountability processes.
Held under the theme, “Advancing Youth Leadership for Peace: Strengthening the Implementation of Liberia’s National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security,” the conference placed young people at the center of discussions on conflict prevention, transitional justice, reconciliation, social cohesion and decision-making.
For many participants, however, the gathering was about more than speeches.
It was about what happens after the conference ends.
‘What Are We Going Back With?’
Executive Director of the Liberia Peacebuilding Office, Sheikh Kamara, put the question directly to participants.
“Young people are always crying for space. We want space at the table. We want to be in the room,” Kamara said.
“But the issue is not about having a space around the table, or having a space in the room. It’s having your voice, which is heard in the room.”
His message captured one of the central concerns of the conference: meaningful youth participation must translate into influence, responsibility and action.
Kamara challenged participants not to allow the gathering to become another conference where people deliver speeches, take photographs and return home without concrete results.
“I come here, beautiful, sleeping in a nice hotel, and go back. What are we going back with?” he asked.
He urged participants and organizers to transform the discussions into practical recommendations that can be implemented in communities.
“It is my prayer that what we will gather from here will not just be in a book, or a booklet, or a pamphlet,” Kamara said. “Everything written in there will be able to be implemented into actions.”
He said Liberia’s future depends on empowering young people to reject violence, misinformation, disinformation and mal-information while promoting dialogue and community peacebuilding.
“At the Liberia Peacebuilding Office, we believe that peace must be built with young people, by young people, and for generations to come,” he said.
Nimba’s Past, Youths’ Future
The choice of Nimba County as the host of the conference was deliberate.
Nimba holds a significant place in Liberia’s conflict history, making Ganta a symbolic setting for young Liberians to reflect on the country’s past while discussing their responsibility for its future.
Laura Targbeh Korvah, President of the National Young Women Political Council of Liberia, said the gathering represented an opportunity for a generation that has often watched decisions being made without its participation.
“For too long, young women and youth have watched decisions about our future being made without us in the room,” Korvah said.
“This conference is a turning point—it is our generation stepping forward, not as bystanders, but as leaders in building the peace we all deserve.”
She said Nimba’s history serves as a reminder of Liberia’s past, while the conference demonstrates the determination of young people to participate in shaping the country’s future.
Participants from Montserrado, Bong, Nimba, Bomi and Sinoe Counties engaged in discussions on Liberia’s National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security (NAP-YPS) 2025–2030, youth leadership, conflict prevention, transitional justice and partnerships for sustainable peace.
‘We Need Actionable Conclusions’
For Theophilus Gippley, a representative of the Liberia Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security, the greatest test of the conference would be whether the discussions produce concrete commitments.
“We don’t want this conference to be like the normal one where we come and give speeches and remarks and then at the end of the day we take plenty of photos and then we go home,” Gippley said.
“We need actionable conclusions. We need resolutions.”
Gippley said young people should not only be included in policy discussions but recognized as actors capable of preventing conflict, protecting their rights and contributing to peace and security.
He called for the National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security to move from the national level to counties, communities and local zones, allowing young people to participate directly in its implementation.
“There is nothing for youth without youth,” he emphasized, echoing the broader call for youth ownership of the national YPS agenda.
EU: Let Youth Shape Decisions
The European Union also called for greater youth participation in decisions affecting Liberia’s future.
In a statement ahead of the conference, Zoltan Szalai, Chargé d’Affaires of the European Union Delegation to Liberia, said young women and men should not only be heard but should have opportunities to shape decisions and lead peacebuilding efforts.
“The time has come for young women and men not only to be heard, but to shape decisions and lead action for peace,” Szalai said.
He said the conference could help translate Liberia’s National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security into tangible results, particularly in rural and conflict-affected communities.
Young Women at the Center
The role of young women also emerged as a major theme.
Esther S. Davis Yango, Executive Director of the Women NGOs Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL), stressed that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without the meaningful participation and leadership of young people, particularly young women.
She called for a shift away from treating young people merely as beneficiaries of peacebuilding initiatives.
Young people, she said, must be recognized as leaders and partners in building peace.
Her position was reflected in the participation of young women from peace hut structures and other youth groups at the conference.
The discussions also placed emphasis on rural youth, persons with disabilities, conflict-affected communities and other groups that remain underrepresented in national decision-making.
Peace Begins Beyond the Conference Hall
For Viola Cooper, Regional Gender Coordinator for Bong, Lofa and Nimba at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, peace is not only a responsibility of government or institutions.
She urged young people to begin building peace through their relationships, homes and communities.
“If you respect your friend in the community, if you respect your wife in the home, if you respect your husband in the home, you get peace,” Cooper said.
She also called for greater opportunities for young people, arguing that meaningful engagement can help keep them away from violence and conflict.
“Our peace lasts in your hands,” she told the gathering.
‘Peace and Security Belong to Everyone’
Speaking for the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Women Empowerment Division Programme Officer Jesse James said young Liberians are not only the future of the country but important partners in building and sustaining peace today.
He said young people have a critical role in preventing violence, promoting social cohesion, addressing discrimination and strengthening peaceful communities.
James called on government institutions, parents, community leaders, civil society organizations and development partners to create safe spaces where young people can express themselves, develop leadership skills and participate in national development.
“Peace means creating opportunities where every young person, regardless of gender, background, or status, has the opportunity to live safely, participate meaningfully, and pursue a better future,” he said.
From Words to Action
The conference was designed to generate practical recommendations and commitments around Liberia’s National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security.
A key outcome was the Nimba Resolution on Youth, Peace and Security, intended to capture commitments and recommendations from young people and stakeholders and provide a basis for continued advocacy, coordination and follow-up.
The gathering was organized through the PeaceGen Liberia partnership, led by the National Young Women Political Council of Liberia (NYWPCL), in collaboration with the Liberia Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security (LCYPS), the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and the Liberia Peacebuilding Office.
The PeaceGen Project runs until January 2029 and is implemented by the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation in partnership with national organizations. Its work focuses on strengthening women’s and youth participation in peacebuilding, transitional justice, memorialization and accountability, while promoting inclusive approaches to reconciliation and sustainable peace in Liberia.
As participants departed Ganta, one question raised inside the conference room remained central: Will the voices of young Liberians remain in the room when decisions are finally made?
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