Liberia’s Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) has issued a resounding call for stronger coordination, increased investment, and sharper accountability in programs supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA. Officials warn that development interventions must break free from short-term cycles and deliver measurable, lasting improvements in the lives of Liberians.
The appeal came from Assistant Minister for Development Planning Wilmot Barchue, speaking at the opening of a two-day review of UNFPA-supported programs in Monrovia, September 3–4. The review is designed to assess progress, achievements, and lessons learned while charting strategic adjustments to ensure interventions remain relevant and sustainable.
Barchue praised UNFPA’s longstanding role in Liberia’s development since 1979, particularly in health, education, gender equality, reproductive health, population data, and youth empowerment. Yet he cautioned that Liberia’s challenges demand a more coordinated partnership among government, development agencies, and stakeholders.
“The government alone cannot achieve all that is required to move Liberia’s development agenda amid fiscal constraints,” Barchue declared, urging UNFPA, the European Union, and other partners to deepen their support.
His remarks carried particular urgency on maternal and reproductive health — areas where Liberia continues to face some of its gravest human-development crises. According to the Liberia Demographic and Health Survey, maternal mortality stood at 742 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2019/2020.
While recent figures show a decline to 667 deaths per 100,000 in 2025, the numbers remain among the highest globally. UNFPA reports that pregnancy and childbirth complications continue to threaten women and adolescent girls across the country.
The statistics are stark. UNFPA data reveal that three in ten Liberian girls aged 15–19 are pregnant or already mothers. The country records an estimated 600–1,000 new cases of obstetric fistula annually. With adolescents aged 10–19 making up nearly a quarter of Liberia’s population, and youth under 34 constituting 75 percent, the demographic pressure is immense.
Barchue argued that Liberia cannot afford to treat its young population merely as passive beneficiaries of aid. Instead, he called for greater investment in education, skills development, employment opportunities, and reproductive-health services that empower young people — particularly girls — to participate meaningfully in the economy and society.
A central concern raised by the MFDP official was sustainability. Barchue warned that projects designed for short implementation periods risk losing their impact once donor funding ends.
He urged partners to strengthen national institutions and government systems so programs can continue producing results long after external support concludes.
He also pressed for stronger domestic resource mobilization and greater government ownership of interventions. “Development partnerships must increasingly be judged not only by how much is invested, but by how much changes in the lives of the people those investments are intended to serve,” he emphasized.
UNFPA’s own results framework underscores the scale of its involvement. In 2024 alone, the agency reported reaching 226,094 women and girls with family-planning services, supporting safe deliveries for 130,076 women, training 272 midwifery students and 51 nurse anesthetists, providing menstrual-hygiene products to 41,000 school-going girls, and assisting 2,580 survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
Yet Barchue insisted that improved monitoring, reporting, and accountability are essential. He expressed concern that inadequate reporting by some implementing partners makes it difficult for government to measure the full impact of development programs. Timely and accurate reporting, he said, is vital for both government and citizens to understand what investments are achieving and where interventions must be adjusted.
The MFDP’s call comes as Liberia implements its ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, the national framework prioritizing human capital development, maternal mortality reduction, and youth empowerment. UNFPA’s country results framework is aligned with these priorities, focusing on adolescent empowerment, gender equality, population dynamics, and reproductive health.
The two-day review is expected to provide a platform for stakeholders to examine UNFPA’s portfolio, identify gaps, strengthen reporting mechanisms, and agree on strategic measures to improve implementation and outcomes.
For Liberia, the challenge is clear: convert development financing and technical assistance into tangible improvements — safer childbirth, stronger reproductive-health services, better educational opportunities, greater youth participation, and more effective public institutions.
As Barchue’s message resounded through the review, one theme stood out: Liberia’s development partnerships must evolve from promises and projects into measurable, people-centered results that endure beyond donor cycles.
