IPNEWS: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through its global EQUANOMICS Initiative and in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, convened a High-Level Policy Dialogue on Gender-Responsive Fiscal Policy, Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB), and Women-Owned Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) at Cape Hotel in Monrovia.
The dialogue brought together senior government officials, development partners, private sector representatives, civil society actors, and women entrepreneurs to discuss reforms that can make Liberia’s public financial management system more inclusive and responsive to the needs of women.
This dialogue served as a platform to review progress in integrating gender perspectives into national planning and budgeting processes, identify persistent barriers to gender-responsive budgeting, and agree on actionable reforms to strengthen women’s economic participation and empowerment.
The event was convened under the UNDP EQUANOMICS Initiative and builds on extensive consultations, institutional engagements, gender-responsive budgeting capacity-building activities, and a Gender Fiscal Impact Assessment of women-owned MSMEs in Liberia.
The assessment generated critical evidence on how fiscal policies, public financial management systems, and institutional practices affect the growth and participation of women-owned businesses in the country.
Addressing the participants, Honorable Curtis V. Dorley, Deputy Minister for Research, Policy and Planning at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, noted that the dialogue comes at a critical time for Liberia as the country finalizes its new National Gender Policy.
He highlighted that the policy places strong emphasis on women’s economic empowerment, including value-chain integration and the formalization of Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
“Let us use this platform to move decisively from policy commitments to practical implementation, ensuring that economic growth and fiscal reforms in Liberia leave no woman behind,” Dorley said.
Delivering remarks at the dialogue, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, Louis Kuukpen emphasized that gender-responsive budgeting is not about creating separate budgets for women but rather ensuring that national budgets equitably address the needs and priorities of all citizens.
He underscored the importance of integrating gender considerations throughout the budget cycle, from planning and resource allocation to implementation, monitoring, and accountability.
“Gender equality must be reflected not only in national development commitments, but also in fiscal policies, revenue decisions and public resource allocations that address gender inequalities, deliver equitable benefits and translate into measurable improvements in women’s economic empowerment,” said Kuukpen.
Outlining UN Women’s priorities, UN Women Deputy Representative Yemi Falayajo highlighted the organization’s efforts to help women break out of “survival mode” entrepreneurship by addressing barriers such as limited access to assets, finance, and business growth opportunities, often compounded by family and caregiving responsibilities.
She noted that UN Women supports women entrepreneurs to strengthen their leadership skills, better understand market dynamics, and navigate the broader economy.
Falayajo emphasized that women’s participation in economic decision-making should not be driven by their roles as mothers, sisters, or wives, but by the significant contribution they make to the economy, noting that women are a vital force behind economic growth and development.
Key findings from the Gender Fiscal Impact Assessment highlighted significant structural constraints faced by women-owned MSMEs, including limited access to finance and collateral, barriers to public procurement opportunities, burdensome taxes and fees, and inadequate access to government business support programmes.
The assessment found that all surveyed enterprises identified finance and collateral as major constraints, while most had not received government-funded business support in the previous two years.
The panel discussion deliberated practical measures to address these challenges, including making procurement requirements more accessible, expanding affordable financing options, improving business support outreach, and strengthening the use of gender-responsive planning and budgeting tools across government institutions.
UNDP reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Government of Liberia through technical assistance, institutional capacity development, evidence generation, and policy advisory support to strengthen gender-responsive fiscal governance.
The organization will continue to work with national partners to ensure that public financial management reforms contribute to more equitable economic opportunities and sustainable development outcomes for women across Liberia.
The dialogue concluded with a renewed call for collective action to translate evidence into policy reforms and institutional commitments that will make fiscal policy a driver of gender equality, women’s economic empowerment, and inclusive national development.
