India and Liberia have discussed ways to strengthen cooperation on women-led development, political representation and gender-responsive governance during a meeting in New Delhi.
Union Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi met a parliamentary delegation from Liberia on Tuesday as part of a South-South Peer Learning Mission focused on sharing experiences and approaches to women’s empowerment.
The Liberian delegation included members of the Senate, House of Representatives and Women’s Legislative Caucus and was led by Ellen-Attoh Wreh. Representatives from UN Women also participated in the discussions.
The Liberian delegation is visiting India from August 10 to 15 under a programme organised with the support of UN Women.
The initiative is funded by the governments of India, Brazil and South Africa through the IBSA Fund and administered by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation.
The peer-learning mission provides an opportunity for the two countries to exchange experiences on policies and institutional mechanisms aimed at improving women’s participation in governance and development.
During the meeting, the Indian side briefed the Liberian delegation on initiatives aimed at advancing women-led development.
Annpurna Devi highlighted India’s approach of viewing women not only as beneficiaries of development programmes but also as active participants and leaders in national development.
She outlined India’s legislative, institutional and programme-based measures designed to strengthen women’s empowerment.
The discussions covered several areas related to women’s participation in public life and governance.
Key topics included:
- Women’s political representation
- Gender-responsive governance
- Gender-responsive budgeting
- Institutional mechanisms addressing violence against women
- The care economy
- Women’s leadership in local governance
The two sides exchanged views on areas of mutual interest and discussed how experiences from India and Liberia could contribute to stronger cooperation.
The meeting forms part of broader South-South cooperation, through which developing countries exchange knowledge, experiences and policy approaches.
India and Liberia expressed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in areas related to women’s empowerment and governance under this framework.
The meeting concluded with the presentation of a memento to the head of the Liberian delegation, followed by a group photograph.
