Gender

1.

Promote Gender Equality: Establish a gender-sensitive legal and policy framework that ensures equal rights, opportunities, and protection for women and men, particularly in areas such as education, employment, healthcare, and leadership.
Empower Women Economically: Provide access to economic resources, including land, credit, and entrepreneurship opportunities, and ensure that women have equal access to employment and income-generating activities.
Enhance Political Participation: Increase women's participation in political leadership at all levels, from local governance to national decision-making processes.
Eliminate Gender-Based Violence (GBV): Address and eliminate all forms of violence against women, including domestic violence, sexual harassment, and harmful traditional practices.
Improve Access to Education and Healthcare: Ensure that women and girls have access to quality education and healthcare, empowering them to make informed decisions and fully participate in economic and social development.

Core Pillars of Liberia’s Gender Development Policy

1. Legal and Institutional Reforms

Gender-Sensitive Laws: Strengthen laws that promote gender equality, protect women's rights, and eliminate discrimination. This includes enforcing laws against gender-based violence (GBV), child marriage, and female genital mutilation (FGM), and ensuring that women have the same inheritance and property rights as men.
Institutional Strengthening: Establish and empower national gender institutions, such as the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, to lead and coordinate gender equality initiatives, and ensure that government institutions at all levels are accountable for promoting gender equality.

2. Economic Empowerment of Women

Access to Credit and Financial Services: Increase access to financial resources for women entrepreneurs through microfinance programs, women-focused banks, and training on financial literacy. Ensure that women can access loans, savings accounts, and other financial services without discrimination.
Promote Women’s Participation in Agriculture: Women are central to Liberia’s agricultural economy, yet they face numerous barriers. The policy will focus on providing women with access to land, agricultural inputs, modern farming techniques, and market opportunities to improve productivity and income.
Job Creation and Skills Development: Create job opportunities for women, particularly in non-traditional sectors such as technology, construction, and manufacturing. Develop vocational training programs that equip women with skills needed in the labor market, ensuring they have equal opportunities for employment.

3. Education and Skills Development

Promote Girls’ Education: Ensure that girls have equal access to quality education at all levels, and eliminate barriers such as early marriage, gender-based violence, and cultural biases that prevent girls from attending school.
STEM Education for Girls: Promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for girls, encouraging them to pursue careers in fields where women are underrepresented.
Gender-Sensitive Curriculum: Review and revise the national education curriculum to ensure it is gender-sensitive, promoting values of equality, respect, and non-discrimination among both boys and girls.

4. Health and Reproductive Rights

Access to Reproductive Healthcare: Ensure that women and girls have access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, maternal healthcare, safe abortion services, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
Reduce Maternal Mortality: Strengthen maternal health programs to reduce maternal mortality rates by ensuring that women have access to skilled healthcare providers during pregnancy, childbirth, and post-delivery.
Combat Gender-Based Violence: Address the root causes of GBV by improving access to healthcare, legal services, and shelters for survivors of violence. Public awareness campaigns should promote respect for women’s rights and encourage community involvement in preventing violence.

5. Political and Leadership Participation

Women in Political Leadership: Increase the representation of women in political decision-making bodies by implementing policies such as gender quotas and promoting women’s leadership at the national and local levels.
Civic Engagement and Advocacy: Empower women through leadership training, political literacy programs, and mentorship to engage actively in civic and political processes.
Support for Women’s Political Parties and Movements: Strengthen women’s political movements, political parties, and networks that support female candidates and advance women’s rights and gender equality in politics.

6. Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention and Response

Enforce Anti-GBV Laws: Strengthen enforcement of laws against all forms of gender-based violence, including domestic violence, sexual harassment, and trafficking in persons.
Community Awareness and Education: Launch national campaigns to raise awareness about gender-based violence and promote zero-tolerance for harmful practices. Engage men and boys as partners in preventing violence and challenging gender norms.
Support for Survivors: Provide a comprehensive support system for survivors of violence, including legal assistance, psychological counseling, medical care, and rehabilitation services. Establish safe shelters and hotlines for survivors in need.

7. Social Protection and Welfare

Social Protection Programs: Develop and expand social safety nets for women, particularly single mothers, elderly women, and women living in rural areas. Programs can include cash transfers, food assistance, and child care services.
Eliminate Harmful Traditional Practices: Address harmful cultural practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and early marriage by working with communities, religious leaders, and local organizations to raise awareness and promote behavioral change.

8. Data Collection and Research

Gender Data Collection: Strengthen data collection systems to gather reliable gender-disaggregated data on key areas such as education, health, employment, and violence. Use this data to inform gender-sensitive policies and programs.
Research on Gender Issues: Support research on gender equality, women’s rights, and empowerment to identify gaps in policy implementation and inform future interventions.

Implementation and Monitoring

Cross-Sector Collaboration: Ensure that gender considerations are integrated into all national policies, including health, education, agriculture, and economic development. Foster collaboration between government ministries, civil society organizations, the private sector, and development partners.
Monitoring and Accountability: Establish monitoring mechanisms to track progress on gender equality goals, with regular reporting on policy implementation and outcomes. Create accountability frameworks to ensure that policies are being effectively implemented and that resources are allocated to gender-focused programs.

Gender Development and Policy Framework

The Gender Development and Policy aims to achieve gender equality, empower all individuals regardless of gender, and create a just, inclusive society where everyone has equal access to opportunities, resources, and rights. This policy framework recognizes gender as a social construct that influences economic, political, social, and cultural roles, and seeks to eliminate gender-based discrimination and violence.

Key Objectives of Gender Development and Policy

Promote Gender Equality: Ensure that all individuals, regardless of gender, have equal rights and opportunities in political, social, economic, and cultural spheres.
Empower Women and Girls: Specifically focus on removing barriers to the empowerment of women and girls, recognizing that they have historically been disadvantaged and marginalized.
Engage Men and Boys in Gender Equality: Engage men and boys as active participants in the fight for gender equality to create a more inclusive society and challenge harmful gender norms.
Eliminate Gender-Based Violence (GBV): Combat and eradicate all forms of violence based on gender, including domestic violence, sexual violence, trafficking, and harmful practices like child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM).
Access to Resources: Ensure equal access to resources such as education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and legal protection for all genders.
Promote Gender-Sensitive Policy Making: Integrate gender considerations into all public policies, making gender equality a core focus of national development efforts.

Core Pillars of the Gender Development Policy

1. Legal and Policy Reform

Gender-Responsive Legal Framework: Review and update existing laws to eliminate gender-based discrimination and promote equality. This includes ensuring laws provide equal protection and opportunities for women, men, and gender-diverse individuals.
Equal Rights to Land and Property: Enact and enforce laws that guarantee equal rights for women and men regarding land ownership, inheritance, and property rights.
Anti-Discrimination Laws: Strengthen laws that prevent discrimination based on gender, including workplace harassment, unequal pay, and discrimination in education or healthcare.
Enforce Gender-Based Violence Laws: Ensure laws against all forms of gender-based violence are effective, accessible, and enforced, and that survivors receive adequate protection and justice.

2. Economic Empowerment

Equal Economic Opportunities: Promote policies that ensure equal access to employment, equal pay for equal work, and opportunities for economic advancement for both women and men.
Support for Women Entrepreneurs: Facilitate access to credit, business training, and markets for women entrepreneurs, especially in informal sectors, to create sustainable economic opportunities.
Access to Financial Resources: Ensure women have equal access to financial services such as loans, savings accounts, and insurance, enabling them to participate in economic activities and decision-making.

3. Education and Capacity Building

Access to Education for All Genders: Ensure equal access to education for all, particularly for girls and women, who may face cultural or societal barriers to education. This includes primary, secondary, and higher education.
STEM Education for Women and Girls: Encourage the participation of women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, where they have historically been underrepresented.
Skills Training and Vocational Education: Provide targeted skills training and vocational education programs for women to improve employability in a competitive job market.

4. Health and Reproductive Rights

Access to Comprehensive Healthcare: Ensure equitable access to healthcare services for all genders, with a focus on women’s health, reproductive rights, and maternal care.
Sexual and Reproductive Rights: Protect and promote the sexual and reproductive rights of women and gender-diverse individuals, ensuring access to family planning, safe abortions, and maternal health services.
Mental Health and Well-being: Address the mental health needs of women and men, particularly those who have experienced gender-based violence or societal pressures related to gender norms.

5. Political and Leadership Participation

Gender Representation in Leadership: Encourage the participation of women in leadership positions, including in political, corporate, and community leadership roles, by implementing quotas or other affirmative action policies.
Civic Engagement and Political Literacy: Promote civic engagement programs for women and marginalized genders to enhance their political literacy and participation in national and local decision-making processes.
Political Will and Accountability: Ensure that gender equality is a key focus of political platforms and hold governments accountable for meeting gender equality targets and commitments.

6. Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention and Response

Preventive Measures: Implement comprehensive awareness campaigns to educate the public about the harmful effects of GBV and gender stereotypes, particularly in the family, workplace, and community settings.
Support for Survivors: Establish accessible services for survivors of gender-based violence, including legal support, healthcare, psychological counseling, and safe shelters.
Community Engagement: Foster community involvement in preventing gender-based violence by working with community leaders, men, and boys to challenge harmful practices and attitudes.

7. Social Protection and Welfare

Social Safety Nets: Establish social welfare programs that support women and marginalized groups, especially those who are economically disadvantaged or face multiple forms of discrimination.
Support for Caregivers: Recognize and value the unpaid care work that is predominantly carried out by women, and introduce policies that provide financial support, training, and respite for caregivers.

8. Data Collection and Research

Gender-Disaggregated Data: Strengthen the collection of gender-disaggregated data across all sectors (education, employment, health, etc.) to better understand gender disparities and inform policy decisions.
Research on Gender Equality: Support research into gender equality and gender-based violence, which will provide insights for evidence-based policies and interventions.

Implementation and Monitoring

Gender Mainstreaming: Ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed into all sectors of government policy, development programs, and organizational practices. This includes budgetary allocation for gender-related projects and initiatives.
Accountability Mechanisms: Establish clear accountability mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the implementation of gender policies, track progress, and ensure that gender equality goals are achieved.
Collaboration with Civil Society: Collaborate with NGOs, women’s rights organizations, and other civil society groups that advocate for gender equality and provide services to support the policy’s implementation.

Gender

1.

Promote Gender Equality: Establish a gender-sensitive legal and policy framework that ensures equal rights, opportunities, and protection for women and men, particularly in areas such as education, employment, healthcare, and leadership.

Empower Women Economically: Provide access to economic resources, including land, credit, and entrepreneurship opportunities, and ensure that women have equal access to employment and income-generating activities.

Enhance Political Participation: Increase women's participation in political leadership at all levels, from local governance to national decision-making processes.

Eliminate Gender-Based Violence (GBV): Address and eliminate all forms of violence against women, including domestic violence, sexual harassment, and harmful traditional practices.

Improve Access to Education and Healthcare: Ensure that women and girls have access to quality education and healthcare, empowering them to make informed decisions and fully participate in economic and social development.

Core Pillars of Liberia’s Gender Development Policy

1. Legal and Institutional Reforms

Institutional Strengthening: Establish and empower national gender institutions, such as the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, to lead and coordinate gender equality initiatives, and ensure that government institutions at all levels are accountable for promoting gender equality.

2. Economic Empowerment of Women

Access to Credit and Financial Services: Increase access to financial resources for women entrepreneurs through microfinance programs, women-focused banks, and training on financial literacy. Ensure that women can access loans, savings accounts, and other financial services without discrimination.

3. Education and Skills Development

Promote Girls’ Education: Ensure that girls have equal access to quality education at all levels, and eliminate barriers such as early marriage, gender-based violence, and cultural biases that prevent girls from attending school.

STEM Education for Girls: Promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for girls, encouraging them to pursue careers in fields where women are underrepresented.

Gender-Sensitive Curriculum: Review and revise the national education curriculum to ensure it is gender-sensitive, promoting values of equality, respect, and non-discrimination among both boys and girls.

4. Health and Reproductive Rights

Access to Reproductive Healthcare: Ensure that women and girls have access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, maternal healthcare, safe abortion services, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.

Reduce Maternal Mortality: Strengthen maternal health programs to reduce maternal mortality rates by ensuring that women have access to skilled healthcare providers during pregnancy, childbirth, and post-delivery.

Combat Gender-Based Violence: Address the root causes of GBV by improving access to healthcare, legal services, and shelters for survivors of violence. Public awareness campaigns should promote respect for women’s rights and encourage community involvement in preventing violence.

5. Political and Leadership Participation

Women in Political Leadership: Increase the representation of women in political decision-making bodies by implementing policies such as gender quotas and promoting women’s leadership at the national and local levels.

Civic Engagement and Advocacy: Empower women through leadership training, political literacy programs, and mentorship to engage actively in civic and political processes.

Support for Women’s Political Parties and Movements: Strengthen women’s political movements, political parties, and networks that support female candidates and advance women’s rights and gender equality in politics.

6. Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention and Response

Enforce Anti-GBV Laws: Strengthen enforcement of laws against all forms of gender-based violence, including domestic violence, sexual harassment, and trafficking in persons.

Community Awareness and Education: Launch national campaigns to raise awareness about gender-based violence and promote zero-tolerance for harmful practices. Engage men and boys as partners in preventing violence and challenging gender norms.

Support for Survivors: Provide a comprehensive support system for survivors of violence, including legal assistance, psychological counseling, medical care, and rehabilitation services. Establish safe shelters and hotlines for survivors in need.

7. Social Protection and Welfare

Social Protection Programs: Develop and expand social safety nets for women, particularly single mothers, elderly women, and women living in rural areas. Programs can include cash transfers, food assistance, and child care services.

Eliminate Harmful Traditional Practices: Address harmful cultural practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and early marriage by working with communities, religious leaders, and local organizations to raise awareness and promote behavioral change.

8. Data Collection and Research

Gender Data Collection: Strengthen data collection systems to gather reliable gender-disaggregated data on key areas such as education, health, employment, and violence. Use this data to inform gender-sensitive policies and programs.

Research on Gender Issues: Support research on gender equality, women’s rights, and empowerment to identify gaps in policy implementation and inform future interventions.

Implementation and Monitoring

Cross-Sector Collaboration: Ensure that gender considerations are integrated into all national policies, including health, education, agriculture, and economic development. Foster collaboration between government ministries, civil society organizations, the private sector, and development partners.

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Gender Development and Policy Framework

Key Objectives of Gender Development and Policy

Promote Gender Equality: Ensure that all individuals, regardless of gender, have equal rights and opportunities in political, social, economic, and cultural spheres.

Empower Women and Girls: Specifically focus on removing barriers to the empowerment of women and girls, recognizing that they have historically been disadvantaged and marginalized.

Engage Men and Boys in Gender Equality: Engage men and boys as active participants in the fight for gender equality to create a more inclusive society and challenge harmful gender norms.

Eliminate Gender-Based Violence (GBV): Combat and eradicate all forms of violence based on gender, including domestic violence, sexual violence, trafficking, and harmful practices like child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM).

Access to Resources: Ensure equal access to resources such as education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and legal protection for all genders.

Promote Gender-Sensitive Policy Making: Integrate gender considerations into all public policies, making gender equality a core focus of national development efforts.

Core Pillars of the Gender Development Policy

1. Legal and Policy Reform

Gender-Responsive Legal Framework: Review and update existing laws to eliminate gender-based discrimination and promote equality. This includes ensuring laws provide equal protection and opportunities for women, men, and gender-diverse individuals.

Equal Rights to Land and Property: Enact and enforce laws that guarantee equal rights for women and men regarding land ownership, inheritance, and property rights.

Anti-Discrimination Laws: Strengthen laws that prevent discrimination based on gender, including workplace harassment, unequal pay, and discrimination in education or healthcare.

Enforce Gender-Based Violence Laws: Ensure laws against all forms of gender-based violence are effective, accessible, and enforced, and that survivors receive adequate protection and justice.

2. Economic Empowerment

Equal Economic Opportunities: Promote policies that ensure equal access to employment, equal pay for equal work, and opportunities for economic advancement for both women and men.

Support for Women Entrepreneurs: Facilitate access to credit, business training, and markets for women entrepreneurs, especially in informal sectors, to create sustainable economic opportunities.

Access to Financial Resources: Ensure women have equal access to financial services such as loans, savings accounts, and insurance, enabling them to participate in economic activities and decision-making.

3. Education and Capacity Building

Access to Education for All Genders: Ensure equal access to education for all, particularly for girls and women, who may face cultural or societal barriers to education. This includes primary, secondary, and higher education.

STEM Education for Women and Girls: Encourage the participation of women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, where they have historically been underrepresented.

Skills Training and Vocational Education: Provide targeted skills training and vocational education programs for women to improve employability in a competitive job market.

4. Health and Reproductive Rights

Access to Comprehensive Healthcare: Ensure equitable access to healthcare services for all genders, with a focus on women’s health, reproductive rights, and maternal care.

Sexual and Reproductive Rights: Protect and promote the sexual and reproductive rights of women and gender-diverse individuals, ensuring access to family planning, safe abortions, and maternal health services.

Mental Health and Well-being: Address the mental health needs of women and men, particularly those who have experienced gender-based violence or societal pressures related to gender norms.

5. Political and Leadership Participation

Gender Representation in Leadership: Encourage the participation of women in leadership positions, including in political, corporate, and community leadership roles, by implementing quotas or other affirmative action policies.

Civic Engagement and Political Literacy: Promote civic engagement programs for women and marginalized genders to enhance their political literacy and participation in national and local decision-making processes.

Political Will and Accountability: Ensure that gender equality is a key focus of political platforms and hold governments accountable for meeting gender equality targets and commitments.

6. Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention and Response

Preventive Measures: Implement comprehensive awareness campaigns to educate the public about the harmful effects of GBV and gender stereotypes, particularly in the family, workplace, and community settings.

Support for Survivors: Establish accessible services for survivors of gender-based violence, including legal support, healthcare, psychological counseling, and safe shelters.

Community Engagement: Foster community involvement in preventing gender-based violence by working with community leaders, men, and boys to challenge harmful practices and attitudes.

7. Social Protection and Welfare

Social Safety Nets: Establish social welfare programs that support women and marginalized groups, especially those who are economically disadvantaged or face multiple forms of discrimination.

Support for Caregivers: Recognize and value the unpaid care work that is predominantly carried out by women, and introduce policies that provide financial support, training, and respite for caregivers.

8. Data Collection and Research

Gender-Disaggregated Data: Strengthen the collection of gender-disaggregated data across all sectors (education, employment, health, etc.) to better understand gender disparities and inform policy decisions.

Research on Gender Equality: Support research into gender equality and gender-based violence, which will provide insights for evidence-based policies and interventions.

Implementation and Monitoring

Gender Mainstreaming: Ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed into all sectors of government policy, development programs, and organizational practices. This includes budgetary allocation for gender-related projects and initiatives.

Accountability Mechanisms: Establish clear accountability mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the implementation of gender policies, track progress, and ensure that gender equality goals are achieved.