FEMINIST COALITION EXPRESSES FRUSTRATION AND CONCERN OVER REASSIGNMENT OF WOMEN FROM STRATEGIC GOVERNMENT POSITIONS

The Feminist Coalition has taken note with concern of the latest changes within the Government of Liberia under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., including the reassignment of the Minister of National Defense, Hon. Geraldine J. George, and the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Hon. Magdalene E. Dagoseh.

The Feminist Coalition recognizes and respects the President’s authority to make appointments, changes and reassignments within the Executive Branch. However, we are concerned and frustrated that two qualified women occupying strategic Cabinet positions have been reassigned without the simultaneous announcement of where they will continue to serve.

Our frustration is heightened by the timing of this decision. Only days ago, the Feminist Coalition, alongside many Liberian women and women’s rights advocates, publicly commended President Boakai and his Administration for the progress made in appointing women to key leadership and decision-making positions. We welcomed the increased representation of women in Cabinet as an important demonstration of political will and a positive step toward fulfilling the President’s commitment to inclusive governance.

It is therefore disappointing that, at a time when women and women’s rights organizations are celebrating these gains, two women are being moved from strategic portfolios without clarity regarding their next assignments.

Liberian women have struggled for decades for meaningful representation in national decision-making. Progress must therefore be measured not only by the number of women appointed, but also by whether women are retained in positions of authority and provided meaningful opportunities to influence decisions affecting Liberia’s peace, security, governance and economic development.

The reassignment of Hon. Geraldine J. George from the Ministry of National Defense is particularly significant. Women’s leadership at the highest levels of the security sector is directly connected to Liberia’s commitments under the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, including United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and related resolutions, as well as Liberia’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. These frameworks emphasize women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in peace, security, conflict prevention, protection and decision-making.

At a time when Liberia is working to strengthen women’s participation in the security sector and deepen implementation of its Women, Peace and Security commitments, women must remain visible and influential at the highest levels of security leadership.

Similarly, women’s leadership at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is critical to inclusive economic governance. Liberian women are heavily engaged in petty trade, markets, agriculture, entrepreneurship and cross-border commerce, yet many continue to face barriers to finance, formalization, market access and business growth. Their realities and priorities must be represented at the highest levels where policies on trade, investment, entrepreneurship and economic development are formulated.

For the Feminist Coalition, the question is no longer simply where these women are going next. The more important question is whether women are being moved out of strategic decision-making spaces at a time when their representation in those spaces is being celebrated as progress.

A change in assignment must not become a reduction in influence. Reassigning qualified women from strategic portfolios without immediately identifying equally meaningful positions risks undermining the very progress the Administration has demonstrated in increasing women’s representation in Government. Women should not have to celebrate gaining a seat at the table today, only to question whether that seat will still exist tomorrow.

We respectfully call on His Excellency President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. to provide clarity regarding the reassignment of Hon. Geraldine J. George and Hon. Magdalene E. Dagoseh and to ensure that their new assignments are announced without unnecessary delay and are commensurate with their qualifications, experience and demonstrated leadership.

Beyond these two reassignments, the Feminist Coalition calls on the President and his Administration to sustain and deepen the gains in women’s representation by appointing more qualified women to leadership and decision-making positions at both national and local levels and across all sectors of Government.

Women’s leadership must not be concentrated in a few ministries, agencies or portfolios traditionally associated with women and social issues. Qualified women must have opportunities to lead across the full spectrum of national development, including security, justice, economic governance, finance, infrastructure, natural resources, agriculture, technology, education, health, diplomacy, public administration and other strategic sectors.

This commitment must also extend beyond Monrovia and national-level appointments. Women at county, district and community levels must have greater opportunities to serve in local government and decentralized governance structures where decisions directly affecting citizens and communities are made.

We therefore urge the Administration to ensure that the current changes do not result in a decline in the overall representation or influence of women in Government. Rather, this moment presents an opportunity for President Boakai to reaffirm his commitment to inclusive governance by retaining qualified women in meaningful leadership positions while continuing to identify and appoint more competent women across Government.

As feminists and women’s rights advocates, where progress is made, we will commend it. Where those gains appear threatened, we have an equal responsibility to speak out. Our position is not about personalities or political affiliation. It is about protecting and expanding women’s right to participate fully and meaningfully in the governance, peace, security and development of Liberia.

The Feminist Coalition remains committed to constructive engagement with the Government of Liberia while holding firmly to our collective responsibility to advance gender equality, women’s rights, inclusive governance, peace and security, justice and economic empowerment.

We look forward to seeing Hon. Geraldine J. George and Hon. Magdalene E. Dagoseh continue to contribute meaningfully to national leadership in positions that reflect their qualifications, experience and capacity to serve Liberia.

The Feminist Coalition comprises:

* Medica Liberia

* Liberia Feminist Forum (LFF)

* Women NGOs Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL)

* Sisters 4 Sisters Liberia (S4S)

* Radical Young Women Movement Liberia (RAYWOM)

THE FEMINIST COALITION