Leymah Gbowee Calls for ‘Voice, Choice and Space’ to Empower Liberian Youth

By Lewis S. Teh

MONROVIA, June 22, 2026 — Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee has called on Liberians to give girls and boys “voice, choice and space,” saying those three principles are essential to strengthening families, empowering young people and building resilient communities.

Speaking at the Eighth Annual Strengthening Families Conference in Monrovia, Gbowee said Liberia’s future depends on creating an environment where children are heard, respected and given opportunities to realize their full potential.

Reflecting on her upbringing, Gbowee said her parents instilled three core values—faith, education and hard work—while allowing their daughters to express themselves, make informed choices and pursue their aspirations.

“Our parents had a social contract with us,” she said. “What they required from us as girls was faith, education and hard work.”

She said her father encouraged dialogue before discipline, a practice she credited with giving her and her sisters “a voice that no one could shackle.”

Gbowee also recalled that her father refused to subject his daughters to certain traditional practices, choosing instead to allow them to make their own decisions when they became adults.

Drawing from her experience as a peace activist, Gbowee said those values inspired the creation of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, which provides educational opportunities for young Liberian women.

She highlighted the foundation’s partnership with Chief Imam Ali Krayee, through which girls rescued from early marriage have been supported to pursue higher education.

According to Gbowee, 38 Muslim girls have benefited from the initiative and are enrolled in universities, with some graduating with top academic honors and pursuing professional careers.

She urged parents to demonstrate the values they expect their children to embrace, stressing that strong families are built through example rather than words alone.

“There can be no strong families without a recognition that daughters are also capable of making good decisions and doing great things,” she said. “There can be no strong families if young people are not given choices, they are not given voices, and they are not given spaces to do what they need to do.”

Gbowee also reflected on the role Liberian women played in ending the country’s civil war, saying their collective action demonstrated the importance of women’s leadership in national development.

Quoting her daughter, she concluded by calling for policies, resources and political commitment that enable every young person to achieve their full potential.

The Strengthening Families Conference brought together government officials, religious leaders, youth representatives and civil society actors to discuss practical strategies for strengthening families and promoting youth development across Liberia.