The Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and UN Women Deputy Executive Director, Asa Regner, has concluded her first official mission to Liberia after holding several strategic engagement meetings with high-level officials and women’s groups.
She also interacted with women who are beneficiaries of UN Women interventions in Liberia.
According to a press release, Ms. Regner was accompanied by the UN Women Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Ms. Oulimata Sarr.
Some of the high-level officials that she met while here include, Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah; Deputy Minister of Justice, Nyanti Tuan, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Williametta Saydee Tarr; and Minister of Internal Affairs, Varney Sirleaf, respectively.
Ms. Regner also had a chance to meet the UN Country Team and other development partners.
During her engagement at Royal Grand Hotel in Sinkor, Ms. Regner emphasized UN Women’s commitment to promoting gender equality and women empowerment in Liberia.
She noted that Liberia has made important strides to advance the rights of women and girls over the past two decades through legislative reforms and targeted programs to eradicate discriminatory barriers and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, despite challenges.
Ms. Regent disclosed that she also had an opportunity to visit the vocational and heritage center in Todee, Montserrado County constructed by UN Women under the European Union, and the Government of Liberia Spotlight Initiative.
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“UN Women is establishing four vocational and heritage centers in four Counties to provide alternative economic livelihood programs to traditional practitioners to eliminate FGM in Liberia”, she said.
She added that the centers will serve as dedicated learning centers for traditional practitioners and young women and girls to learn new skills to enable them to get an alternative source of income to replace female genital mutilation.
Ms. Regner also interacted with traditional practitioners who formerly practiced female genital mutilation but are now beneficiaries of the alternative economic livelihood program.
She outlines that at least 300 traditional practitioners have benefitted from the alternative economic livelihood program, launched in December 2019 under the Spotlight Initiative. Press Release
