Monrovia – The Feminist Coalition (FCP), with medica Liberia (mL) serving as the lead representative, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Liberia to support the comprehensive review and revision of the Ministry’s Gender Policy.
The collaboration is being undertaken under the Stronger Together – A Gender Transformative Action Coalition Project and brings together five feminist and women’s rights organizations: medica Liberia, Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL), Sisters4Sisters Liberia, Radical Young Women Movement in Liberia (RAYWOM), and Liberia Feminist Forum (LFF).
The MOU was signed on behalf of Cllr. Yah V. Parwon, Country Director of medica Liberia, on behalf of the Feminist Coalition, and Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh, Sr., Acting Minister of National Defense, representing the Ministry.
The partnership seeks to ensure that Liberia’s defense and security institutions have a strengthened, practical, and gender-responsive policy framework that reflects current institutional realities and Liberia’s commitments to gender equality, women’s participation in peace and security, human rights, and inclusive governance.
Under the agreement, the parties will collaborate on a comprehensive review of the existing Gender Policy, stakeholder consultations, data collection and analysis, drafting of a revised Gender Policy and Action Plan, and internal and external validation of the revised documents.
The process will also provide an opportunity to identify emerging gender-related challenges and strengthen institutional approaches to women’s participation and leadership, equal opportunity, prevention of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), safeguarding, accountability, and gender-responsive planning and budgeting within the Ministry and the Armed Forces of Liberia.
Speaking on behalf of Cllr. Yah V. Parwon, Country Director of medica Liberia, Fenny Taylor-Diggs, Project Manager, emphasized the importance of feminist and civil society engagement in strengthening institutional policies and practices.
“This partnership represents an important opportunity to bring feminist perspectives, technical expertise, and lived realities into a policy process that directly affects Liberia’s defense and security institutions. We look forward to working with the Ministry of National Defense to ensure that the revised policy is practical, inclusive, and responsive to the realities of women and men within the defense sector.”
Delivering remarks at the signing on behalf of Cllr. Parwon and the Feminist Coalition, Fenny Taylor-Diggs, Project Manager, described the occasion as a monumental moment for the Coalition.
“We are not simply signing an MOU today. We are formalizing an opportunity to work alongside the Ministry of National Defense to contribute to shaping the direction of gender within the Ministry and the Armed Forces of Liberia in the years ahead. Policies are not simply documents that sit on a shelf. Policies shape institutions. They influence priorities, guide decision-making, inform budgets and resource allocation, and ultimately determine how commitments are translated into action.”
For his part, Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh, Sr., Acting Minister of National Defense, said the Ministry and the Armed Forces of Liberia are committed to ensuring that women have equal opportunity to serve.
“Gender equality is something that we do not take for granted. As a force for good, the Armed Forces of Liberia strive to ensure that women have equal opportunity as men to participate in the defense of our country, because women are equally able and capable as men. With this MOU, we want to look at our existing National Defense Gender Policy and see whether it meets the needs of present-day reality: where it needs to be strengthened, where it needs to be amended, and what additional things it must incorporate. You can write the most beautiful thing on paper, but you have to implement it. So the policy must be crafted in a way that is realistic and can be implemented.”
The Acting Minister pledged the Ministry’s full backing for the process: “The Ministry of National Defense gives its total support to this process. All assistance that will be required from our side will be made available, and our team will work fully with you to review and revise our gender policy, and thereafter implement it to the letter.”
The Ministry of National Defense will lead and coordinate stakeholder consultations and facilitate access to relevant policy and institutional information. The Ministry will also lead the drafting and validation processes, while medica Liberia, representing the Feminist Coalition, will provide technical support, contribute to the policy review and drafting process, and coordinate with other members of the Coalition to ensure that relevant feminist and gender perspectives are reflected throughout the process.
The collaboration will be guided by a Joint Steering Committee, comprising representatives designated by both parties, to provide strategic oversight, review progress, address implementation challenges, and support coordination throughout the four-month implementation period.
The partnership reflects a shared commitment to strengthening institutional systems that promote gender equality, professionalism, accountability, inclusion, and meaningful participation in peace and security.
The Feminist Coalition and the Ministry of National Defense believe that effective gender-responsive policies are essential to building institutions that are more representative, accountable, and responsive to the people they serve.
About the Feminist Coalition
The Feminist Coalition (FCP) is a consortium of five feminist and women’s rights organizations, medica Liberia (mL), Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL), Sisters4Sisters Liberia (S4S), Radical Young Women Movement in Liberia (RAYWOM), and Liberia Feminist Forum (LFF), working collectively to strengthen Liberia’s women’s movement and influence structural, political, and social change toward greater gender equality and justice.
About medica Liberia
medica Liberia is a feminist organization working to advance women’s rights and contribute to the prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence in Liberia through advocacy, survivor-centered programming, institutional strengthening, and gender-transformative approaches.
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