Liberian Girls Take Charge: Empowering Leadership for a Better Future

In commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child 2025, the United Nations in Liberia, through UN Women, hosted an Intergenerational Dialogue at the Kofi Annan Conference Room, One UN House, Sinkor, Monrovia, on Monday, October 13, 2025. The event brought together adolescent girl leaders, civil society representatives, youth advocates, and development partners, highlighting the importance of empowering girls as leaders and change makers.

Key Takeaways:

• Miss Jophelia Quayee, President of the Children's Voice, served as the Acting Country Representative of UN Women Liberia for the day, symbolically taking over the role from Madam Comfort Lamptey, UN Women's substantive Country Representative.
• Quayee reflected on her experience at the Regional Adolescent Girls' Conference in Dakar, Senegal, where she learned about common challenges faced by girls across Africa, including poverty, limited access to education, and gender-based discrimination.
• Quayee emphasized the need for adolescent girls and youth with disabilities to be included in education and leadership programs, stating that "physically challenged girls are smart, talented, and have much to contribute to society if given the right support."
• Madam Comfort Lamptey, UN Women Liberia's substantive Country Representative, highlighted the progress made since the Beijing Platform for Action (1995), which first placed the girl child on the global agenda, while acknowledging that more work remains to be done to address challenges such as teenage pregnancy, early marriage, drug abuse, and gender-based violence.
• Lamptey reaffirmed Liberia's commitment to two of the global "Beijing+30 Action Agendas": Ending violence against women and girls, and investing in young women and girls as the next generation of leaders.
• Young participants emphasized the need for gender equality, male allyship, and adolescent participation in policy formulation, calling for inclusion and equality for all.
• Participants highlighted the importance of mentorship and continued advocacy, with Madam Lamptey encouraging girls to seek mentorship and build networks with peers and older women to strengthen intergenerational solidarity.
• Lamptey emphasized the need for adolescent girls and youth to be part of the design, implementation, and monitoring of national projects, stating that "adolescent girls must be part of the design, implementation, and monitoring of national projects."

Statistics:

• The International Day of the Girl Child is celebrated globally every October 11.
• The event in Liberia brought together adolescent girl leaders, civil society representatives, youth advocates, and development partners.
• According to Quayee, there are approximately 100 million girls across Africa who lack access to education, highlighting the need for inclusive education programs.
• The Beijing Platform for Action (1995) first placed the girl child on the global agenda, marking significant progress in addressing girls' rights.
• Liberia has committed to ending violence against women and girls and investing in young women and girls as the next generation of leaders.

Sources:

• "UN Women Liberia Hosts Intergenerational Dialogue on International Day of the Girl Child" (FrontPageAfrica, October 2025)
• "Girls Take Charge: Empowering Leadership for a Better Future" (AllAfrica, October 2025)
• "Regional Adolescent Girls' Conference in Dakar, Senegal" (UN Women, date unspecified)
• "Beijing Platform for Action (1995)" (United Nations, date unspecified)