UNFPA Sounds Alarm Over Falling Aid, Urges Liberia to Step Up

The United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, is calling on Liberia to increase domestic funding for programmes supporting the health and protection of women, girls and young people.

The call comes amid declining international development assistance, which UNFPA says could put pressure on programmes serving vulnerable populations.

Speaking during the agency’s 2026 Mid-Year Programme Review and Planning Meeting in Sinkor, UNFPA Country Representative Dr. Mady Biaye said Liberia needs to strengthen its own systems and resources to sustain gains made in reproductive health, maternal care and the fight against gender-based violence.

The two-day meeting brought together government officials, development partners and implementing organizations to review progress made during the first half of 2026 and identify areas requiring improvement.

UNFPA’s current programme focuses on expanding access to family planning, reducing preventable maternal deaths, ending gender-based violence and harmful practices, and using population data to inform national policies.

The agency says its support has helped improve emergency maternal and newborn care in health facilities, including communities that are difficult to reach.

UNFPA also reports a reduction in shortages of contraceptives and essential maternal health medicines following improved integration of reproductive health supplies into the national supply system.

The agency is also supporting survivors of violence through one-stop centers and community-based protection systems, while promoting youth-friendly health services, comprehensive sexuality education and menstrual hygiene support for adolescent girls.

UNFPA says it is further working with communities, schools, youth groups and government institutions to respond to growing drug and substance abuse among young people through rehabilitation, skills development and youth participation in peacebuilding.

Meanwhile, Chair of the Senate Health and Population Committee, Senator Dabah Varpilah, says teenage pregnancy, early marriage, harmful traditional practices and maternal deaths remain major challenges for Liberia.

Senator Varpilah is calling for increased domestic financing, stressing that laws and policies will have little impact without the resources needed for implementation.

Assistant Minister for Preventive Services at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Cuallau Jabbeh Howe, also praised UNFPA for its support to the health sector, including the training of midwives, upgrading of health facilities and expansion of emergency maternal and newborn services.

He cited the Careysburg Health Center, which now has the capacity to perform Caesarean sections, as one example of the progress achieved through the partnership.

The Embassy of Ireland has also raised concern about the impact of declining development assistance on women and girls, while encouraging continued investment in essential health services.

The UNFPA review is expected to identify implementation gaps and guide programme priorities for the remainder of 2026.