Women Politicians In Liberia

"Her presidency inspired me and I believe it will continue to inspire women in Africa. Nevertheless, structural obstacles impede progress. The glass ceiling in politics remains and much work is left to address the lack of opportunities, justice and equity for women. Though the election of President Johnson-Sirleaf may have opened some doors, male-dominated political arenas and the belief that women cannot hold high political positions persist."

"I am a native Liberian who was forced to leave her motherland [during the civil war]. We don’t have the luxury of encouraging divisiveness among ourselves, so I navigate this topic by putting my country and her pressing needs first."

"I have always been a determined and daring person. It is how I survived the civil war as a young teenager. That determination compels me to run for the highest position of the land. More importantly, one doesn’t have to have a political background to hold any position. I’ve engaged with civil society at the lowest level through MCF and know what it takes to lead Liberia and close the gap of communication between government and [the people]. I know the change Liberians seek and have, through MCF, implemented those on a small scale. Now, we will scale it up and implement it across Liberia."

"One is never comfortable in life after losing a father to war or [witnessing its] atrocities. Even though my job at Ralph Lauren gave me the opportunity to travel the world, my thoughts never [wandered] far from Liberia’s sufferings. MCF was my initial and official effort to help those who were not fortunate enough to escape Liberia during the civil war. It was my way of giving back to a country that deserved more."

"The U.N. could and should remain the best means of international cooperation that has ever been at mankind's disposal."

"But we have to nurse and cherish and cultivate it."

"If much remains to be done, new avenues to be explored, new attitudes and ideas to be found, we have given the direction to future assemblies."

"Uniting the party’s leaders and members is crucial for rebranding the Liberty Party ahead of the 2029 elections. We cannot continue to dwell on conflicts that have tarnished our image,”"

"The reconciliation process, which began on October 12 in Grand Bassa, will culminate in a “reconciliation agreement” among party leaders and members nationwide."

"I feel the pains market women go through particularly in Borlah and that is why I see the need for a market to be built for the people of this area. We’re happy by the warm reception from our dear and strong local marketers, and we recognize the significant role you play in our economy,”"

"I know what it takes for the rain or sun to spoil your market just because there is nowhere for you to put your fruits after taking those from the garden or farm but this project will start immediately as of next week to ease your stress,"

"Firstly, becoming the first female vice president of my nation broke the mould that only men were capable of being vice presidents."

"The age-old barriers to women’s empowerment are structural, patriarchal, discriminatory laws and low capacities. We must eliminate all forms of violence against women and adopt parity laws."

"I encountered challenging times during my tenure as vice president, primarily due to the conventional expectation of maintaining a quiet demeanour. History showed all vice presidents preceding me adhered to a policy of silence and following the leader. Being a woman and an advocate for women’s rights, I felt compelled to speak up about many issues."

"Over the past 24 years, thousands of young women have taken advantage of the opportunities provided; through my personal support and that of the Jewel Star Fish Foundation, many of whom are positively impacting their world in many fields of study."

"I hope my voice, and the voices of others who contracted the disease will let people know that this pandemic is real…COVID-19 is not a hoax or a conspiracy theory."

"Africa is the last frontier, with about 40 per cent of the world’s natural resources and the fastest-growing population globally…It’s time for an African industrial revolution."

"Youth unemployment is one of the biggest challenges facing our government. Youth employment is a key component of our Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development. To address unemployment, we need a strong private sector."

"The truth is that politics is tough terrain, but it takes a clear vision, proper planning and execution of plans, commitment, hard work and consistency to succeed. Despite the many challenges, women should not allow themselves to be left out of the process."

"My message is simple: dream, prepare, build, remain committed, and don’t forget to encourage and mentor others. This is the formula for success, whether you are a man or a woman. The world is for the strong, the bold, the creative and the committed. Keep in mind that everything is possible."

"As you know, peace is a sine qua non for everything and luckily we have had this peace cemented with the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as the president. And for years we managed to put in place structures and laws to ensure that we will not derail from the peace. Once you have peace all other things are possible."

"The higher you climb, the tougher it is. There will come many challenges from new counterparts and even colleagues who will be your loudest critics when you make a mistake. So what I had to do was to find a way, not to just rely on my pretty face sitting in the legislature."

"My journey was supported by my many teachers and mentors who guided me to a world opened up by the enlightenment of higher education, and which led to my conviction that access to quality education is the social justice issue of our time."

"My life was safeguarded when thousands mobilized around the world to free me from imprisonment, and my life was spared by individual acts of compassion by some of my captors."

"My life was forever transformed when I was given the privilege to serve the people of Liberia – taking on the awesome responsibility of rebuilding a nation nearly destroyed by war and plunder. There was no roadmap for post-conflict transformation. But we knew that we could not let our country slip back into the past. We understood that our greatest responsibility was to keep the peace."

"The Nobel Committee cannot license us three Laureates to speak for women. But it has provided us a platform from which to speak to women, around the globe, whatever their nationality, their color, their religion, or their station in life. It is you, my sisters, and especially those who have seen the devastation that merciless violence can bring, to whom I dedicate my remarks, and this Prize."

"Although international tribunals have correctly declared that rape, used as a weapon of war, is a crime against humanity, rapes in times of lawlessness continue unabated. The number of our sisters and daughters of all ages brutally defiled over the past two decades staggers the imagination, and the number of lives devastated by such evil defies comprehension."

"Through the mutilation of our bodies and the destruction of our ambitions, women and girls have disproportionately paid the price of domestic and international armed conflict. We have paid in the currencies of blood, of tears, and of dignity."

"However, the need to defend the rights of women is not limited to the battlefield, and the threats to those rights do not emanate only from armed violence. Girls’ education, seen far too often as an unnecessary indulgence rather than the key investment it is, is still under-funded and under-staffed. Too often girls are discouraged from pursuing an academic training, no matter how promising they may be."

"In too many parts of the world, crimes against women are still under-reported, and the laws protecting women are under-enforced. In this 21st century, surely there is no place for human trafficking that victimizes almost a million people, mostly girls and women, each year. Surely there is no place for girls and women to be beaten and abused. Surely there is no place for a continuing belief that leadership qualities belong to only one gender."

"Technology has turned our world into one interconnected neighborhood. What happens in one place is seen in every corner, and there has been no better time for the spread of peace, democracy and their attending social justice and fairness for all."

"Today, across the globe, women, and also men, from all walks of life are finding the courage to say, loudly and firmly, in a thousand languages, “No more.” They reject mindless violence, and defend the fundamental values of democracy, of open society, of freedom, and of peace."

"If I might thus speak to girls and women everywhere, I would issue them this simple invitation: My sisters, my daughters, my friends, find your voices!"

"Each of us has her own voice, and the differences among us are to be celebrated. But our goals are in harmony. They are the pursuit of peace, the pursuit of justice. They are the defense of rights to which all people are entitled."

"The political struggles that our countries – Liberia, Yemen and others – have gone through will be meaningful only if the new-found freedom opens new opportunities for all. We are well aware that a new order, born of hunger for change, can easily fall back into the lawless ways of the past. We need our voices to be heard. Find your voice! And raise your voice! Let yours be a voice for freedom!"

"Liberia’s continued progress depends on policies and programs that invest in people and strengthen democratic institutions, while remaining grounded in the rule of law. Most importantly, they must stand the test of time. They must not be dependent on any one leader or any one political party. We must build space and respect for opposition voices; they are not the losers in our open society, but an essential component to strengthened accountability in government."

"Ethnicity should enrich us; it should make us a unique people in our diversity and not be used to divide us."

"It was exactly 63 years ago today that the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That document, the legacy of a generation that had just emerged from the horrors of a devastating World War, remains of great significance to us today. It is a Declaration that is universal. It speaks of rights that all humans have simply by virtue of being human. These rights are not given to us by governments, which might revoke them at their pleasure. It is a Declaration that is legal, not a list of benevolent aspirations. It obligates States, even in their treatment of their own citizens, to observe, and to uphold, those universal rights and freedoms that belong to us all."

"To girls and women everywhere, I issue a simple invitation. My sisters, my daughters, my friends; find your voice."

"It’s a big challenge in whatever country we’re in, because the stereotyping, the obstacles that women face are global… And so the action must be global, it must be collective. And it must be a networking across borders, because our rights are the same, our goals are common."

"Leadership is never given on a silver platter, one has to earn it."

"Even though women are the victims, they are the ones who stand up. They are the ones who are able to promote peace and reconciliation"

"Once the glass ceiling has been broken, it can never be put back together, however one would try to do that."

"I believe that there are certain attributes in a woman that give her some advantages over a man. Women are usually more honest, more sensitive to issues and bring a stronger sense of commitment and dedication to what they do. Maybe because they were mothers, and being a mother, you have that special attention for the family, for the young, for children."

"“If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.”"

"The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.”"

"“Why are some countries able, despite their very real and serious problems, to press ahead along the road to reconciliation, recovery, and redevelopment while others cannot? These are critical questions for Africa, and their answers are complex and not always clear. Leadership is crucial, of course. Kagame was a strong leader–decisive, focused, disciplined, and honest–and he remains so today. I believe that sometimes people's characters are molded by their environment. Angola, like Liberia, like Sierra Leone, is resource-rich, a natural blessing that sometimes has the sad effect of diminishing the human drive for self-sufficiency, the ability and determination to maximize that which one has. Kagame had nothing. He grew up in a refugee camp, equipped with only his own strength of will and determination to create a better life for himself and his countrymen. ”"

"Increasingly there is recognition that full gender equity will ensure a stronger economy, a more developed nation, a more peaceful nation. And that is why we must continue to work."

"" True reconciliation is not just about forgiving, but also about building a future together"."

"Future generations will judge us not by what we say, but what we do."