UNFPA Advances Youth Empowerment as Youth Coalition Elects New Leaders

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has pledged continued support to a coalition of youth-led organizations in Liberia, challenging its members to take a leading role in advocating for policies that address the needs and challenges of young people.

UNFPA Deputy Country Representative in Liberia, Leonard Kamugisha, said young people must be actively involved in advancing the commitments of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), particularly in addressing maternal mortality, limited access to contraception, and gender-based violence.

Speaking Wednesday at the close of a two-day training workshop in Monrovia, Mr. Kamugisha described the Liberian Youth Voices for Accelerating the ICPD (L-YV-4-ICPD) as an important platform for advancing the country's population and development agenda.

He said young people, who make up a significant proportion of Liberia's population, have an important role to play in advocating for change and supporting programmes that address their needs.

"You are the leaders of today, not tomorrow," Mr. Kamugisha told participants, emphasizing the need for young people to take ownership of issues affecting their generation.

He said UNFPA is committed to supporting the coalition in implementing its 12-month advocacy and organizational action plan developed during the training.

However, Mr. Kamugisha stressed that the responsibility for the coalition's success must be shared between UNFPA and its members.

He said while UNFPA remains accountable for providing support, coalition members must also ensure that the agreed activities are implemented.

Mr. Kamugisha further encouraged members to strengthen collaboration, noting that no single organization can independently address the challenges facing young people.

The training also examined the historical significance of the ICPD, whose Programme of Action was adopted in 1994 at an international conference in Cairo, Egypt, by 179 governments.

The agreement shifted the global approach to population and development from focusing mainly on population numbers to placing people's rights, choices and well-being at the center of development.

Participants were reminded that gender equality, women's empowerment, education and access to sexual and reproductive health services are essential to sustainable development.

Discussions also highlighted the importance of investing in Liberia's youthful population to benefit from the demographic dividend, which occurs when a country's working-age population grows relative to its dependent population.

The training emphasized that a youthful population alone does not guarantee economic growth, stressing the need for investments in education, healthcare, employment opportunities and skills development to enable young people to contribute meaningfully to national development.

At the close of the workshop, the coalition elected Leo Tiah as Head of Secretariat for a two-year term.

Other elected officers include Diana Klah as Secretary, Oretha Kou Tenway as Program Lead, Rosetta Fardolo as Finance Lead, and Kadiatu Bah as Advocacy Lead.

In his remarks following the election, Mr. Tiah called on members to work together and contribute to strengthening the coalition.

He said his leadership would be based on collective responsibility, openness and innovation, urging members to continue providing ideas and support to move the organization forward.

"I'm just the leader today, but you are the ones who have pushed me and given me the space to be able to drive things. So please, do not let me down. Continue to support us, bring the ideas, and let's drive things together," Mr. Tiah said.

He challenged members to ensure that the coalition does not lose momentum after the election but remains focused on representing the interests and concerns of young people across Liberia.

Mr. Tiah thanked UNFPA for providing young people with the opportunity and support to organize, while calling for continued technical and financial assistance to strengthen the coalition's work.

The two-day workshop, held November 10 and 11, focused on strengthening members' advocacy skills, participation in national policy discussions and organizational governance.

Discussions covered sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality, sexual and gender-based violence, female genital mutilation, child marriage and adolescent well-being.

The coalition, known as L-YV-4-ICPD, brings together more than 40 formal and informal adolescent- and youth-led networks and organizations in Liberia.

Its work is aimed at advancing the ICPD Programme of Action and ensuring that young people have a stronger voice in decisions and policies affecting their lives.