By Jamesetta D. Williams
MONROVIA–The Ministry of Youth and Sports says it will use Liberia’s upcoming engagement at the United Nations Security Council to highlight the role of young people in sustaining the country’s peace and advancing national development.
The ministry disclosed that it will host a high-level side event in New York in September under the theme “Rising and Reimagining Liberia’s Vision for Youth, Peace and Security.”
The event will form part of Liberia’s broader diplomatic engagements as the country prepares to assume the presidency of the United Nations Security Council in December 2026.
A representative of the Ministry of Youth and Sports made the disclosure Thursday during the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing in Monrovia.
The official said Liberia’s peace was achieved through the collective efforts of Liberians, including women who played a significant role in mobilizing for an end to the country’s civil conflict.
He said the responsibility of sustaining that peace has now increasingly fallen on Liberia’s youth, who represent both the present and future of the country.
“For us, our focus is: how do we sustain the peace that the women of Liberia were able to cause, and how do we, with our own ideas, ensure that our country becomes more developed?” the official said.
The ministry said its side event will focus on how Liberia can strengthen the participation of young people in peacebuilding, democratic processes and national development.
It will also examine the role of sports as a tool for sustaining peace, building social cohesion and creating opportunities for young people.
According to the ministry, the government is seeking to move beyond discussions about youth peacebuilding toward practical initiatives that enable young people to become economically empowered and active contributors to society.
The official said sustaining peace is not simply about organizing workshops, conferences and meetings with young people, but about creating opportunities that allow them to become economically independent and compete effectively within the region.
The event is expected to be hosted at the African Union Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York and will bring together an estimated 75 to 100 participants.
Participants are expected to include representatives of governments, United Nations agencies, international organizations, civil society groups and members of the Liberian diaspora.
The ministry said the event will be structured around three key areas.
The first will focus on Liberia’s position as a member of the UN Security Council and the opportunity it provides the country to showcase its experience as a post-conflict nation that has maintained peace and experienced democratic transitions from one elected government to another.
The second will examine the role of young people in sustaining peace, particularly their participation in democratic processes despite the challenges they face.
The third will focus on how Liberia can strengthen youth participation in peace and security while creating opportunities for young people to contribute to the country’s future.
Unlike a traditional conference format, the Ministry of Youth and Sports said it intends to hold a structured open dialogue with participants.
The ministry said the approach is designed to encourage genuine engagement among young people, policymakers, international partners and other stakeholders interested in sustaining Liberia’s peace.
The official emphasized that young people need more than invitations to conferences and policy discussions.
He said the focus must be on helping young Liberians transition from being passive beneficiaries of programs to becoming active participants in economic and national development.
He added that economic empowerment is an important component of peacebuilding because young people need the opportunity to compete economically with their peers across the West African region.
The ministry said it has been engaging the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Liberia’s mission in New York to secure international participation in the event.
Among those expected to attend is the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, Dr. Felipe Paullier, who heads the UN’s youth office and has reportedly confirmed his participation.
The ministry also said it has engaged the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which serves as a key UN partner on youth-related activities, to participate in the event.
The side event will be funded through support from the Government of Liberia and international partners.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports said Liberia will take a diverse delegation of young people to New York to ensure that the voices of different groups are represented.
The delegation is expected to include representatives from statutory youth organizations, young people with disabilities, young people from marginalized communities, youth involved in peace and security initiatives, and young people working in Liberia’s creative economy.
Young people from Sierra Leone are also expected to participate as Liberia seeks to strengthen youth-to-youth cooperation between the two neighboring countries.
The ministry said the engagement with Sierra Leonean youth is intended to help build stronger alliances and promote cooperation between young people in both countries.
The Youth and Sports Ministry said it expects the New York engagement to generate new partnerships and build momentum around youth, peace and security.
The official said Liberia’s Security Council membership offers a unique opportunity to showcase what young Liberians have already done to maintain peace and to present the government’s plans for sustaining that peace into future generations.
He expressed appreciation to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for providing Liberian youth with the opportunity to participate in the international discussions.
He also commended Foreign Affairs Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti for her efforts to ensure that Liberia has a stronger voice at the Security Council.
The ministry said Liberia’s youth must be central to the country’s peacebuilding and development agenda, arguing that sustaining peace will require not only political commitment but also meaningful economic, social and democratic opportunities for the country’s young population.
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