The Women Legislative Caucus of Liberia (WLCL) will, from today, April 15, 2026, begin rolling out of series of community consultations and town hall engagements across eight of Liberia’s fifteen counties, aimed at advancing women’s political participation and promoting electoral legal reform.
By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway
The initiative is being implemented under a US$1 million project supported by the IBSA ((India, Brazil, and South Africa), Facility for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation, covering the period 2025–2027. The 18-month program is designed to strengthen the institutional capacity of the WLCL, promote gender-responsive lawmaking, and enhance women’s leadership and representation at both national and community levels.
The project is led by the WLCL in collaboration with CareFound Liberia, with technical support from UN Women.
The community engagements will serve as vital platforms for public dialogue, transparency, and accountability. They are intended to achieve two primary goals: first, to raise awareness about the IBSA-supported project, its objectives, expected outcomes, and opportunities for women’s socio-political and economic empowerment; and second, to actively engage citizens in discussions around electoral legal reform, particularly focusing on Temporary Special Measures (TSMs) and policy options such as mandatory gender quotas to enhance women’s representation.
Through these consultations, members of the Women’s Caucus will directly engage their constituents, listen to concerns, and gather grassroots perspectives. The process is expected to strengthen the relationship between legislators and citizens, deepen public understanding of reform priorities, and support sustained advocacy for inclusive governance.
The engagements will target a broad range of stakeholders, including women, girls, youth, civil society organizations, local authorities, the media, and community leaders.
Key Objectives of the Engagements:
The engagements are intended to inform constituents about the IBSA-supported project and its benefits for women’s empowerment and to facilitate direct dialogue between WLCL members and citizens on electoral legal reform.
It’s also intended build public awareness and support for Temporary Special Measures (TSMs) and mandatory gender quotas to identify barriers to women’s political participation, including violence against women in elections and politics (VAWEP).
The engagement will also strengthen partnerships with civil society, local leaders, and the media for coordinated advocacy while at the same time generating community-informed recommendations to guide legislative and advocacy processes.
The Eight Counties and Districts Targeted include: Grand Bassa, Gbarpolu, Grand Cape Mount County Districts 1 and 3, Montserrado County Districts 1and 5, Margibi County District 3, Bong County District 6, Lofa County District 2 and Grand Gedeh County District 2.
The WLCL calls on citizens, stakeholders, and community leaders in the targeted counties to actively participate in these engagements, as their voices are critical to shaping inclusive electoral reforms and strengthening democratic governance in Liberia.
About WLCL:
The Women Legislative Caucus of Liberia is a cross-party body of female lawmakers committed to advancing gender equality, promoting women’s leadership, and championing policies that improve the lives of women and girls across Liberia.
With support from the IBSA Fund (India, Brazil, and South Africa Facility for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation) and UN Women, WLCL is implementing a US$1 million, 18-month project titled “Women Legislators in Liberia Promoting Voice, Leadership, and Gender-Responsive Governance for Sustainable Development” (2025–2027). The project aims to strengthen WLCL’s institutional capacity, promote gender-responsive lawmaking, and enhance women’s leadership at national and community levels.
Liberia is at a critical stage in ongoing electoral legal reform. Despite years of advocacy — including the 2014 amendment to the Elections Law encouraging political parties to include at least 30% women on candidate listings women’s representation in the Legislature has stagnated at around 11 percent due to the absence of enforceable mechanisms. In 2022, a mandatory gender quota bill passed the Legislature for the first time, though it did not receive Executive approval. Community-level engagement on these issues remains limited, making outreach essential to build broad-based public support for reform.
As part of this project, WLCL is conducting a series of Community Consultations and Town Hall Engagements across 8 counties and 11 locations in Liberia (April 12–25, 2026). The initiative was covered by Women Voices Newspaper on April 10, 2026, marking the first media visibility moment for the activity. This Communication Plan supports the planning and delivery of all communications and visibility activities surrounding these engagements.
