At the end of September, the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) deployed a senior expert from its Electoral Assistance Division (EAD) to Monrovia, in Liberia, to support national discussions on electoral reform. The discussions, co-hosted by the UN Development Programme and UN Women, included a series of dialogue events among national actors focusing on how Liberia's electoral framework can become more inclusive, representative, and responsive ahead of the 2029 general elections and beyond.
The events brought together representatives of Liberia’s House of Representatives and Senate, the National Elections Commission (NEC), the Law Reform Commission of Liberia, the Women’s Legislative Caucus of Liberia, youth wings of political parties, as well as civil society organizations.
Increasing the participation of women – including the number of women elected to the Legislature – is high on Liberia’s reform agenda. This is also a topic on which the UN Electoral Assistance Division can offer extensive expertise to UN Member States.
“Inclusion and non-discrimination are central to our work,” said Michèle Griffin, Director of the Division. “We help countries design representative electoral systems and “smart quotas” at their request: tailored mechanisms that reflect national contexts and electoral realities.”
During the interactions in Monrovia, UN electoral expert, Maarten Halff, shared insights from international practice and facilitated discussion among national stakeholders on approaches that could be appropriate for Liberia context. Electoral reform, EAD officials emphasize, must be nationally owned.
“The process starts with finding a shared understanding among national actors as to what needs to change,” said Halff. “Our role is to offer a compass and a map, not to prescribe the path or the destination.”
The Legislature of Liberia is expected to debate concrete reform proposals in its current session. The dialogue events were made possible with support of the Liberia Electoral Support Project, managed by UNDP and implemented in partnership with UN Women and the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD), with funding from the European Union, Irish Aid, and Sweden.
