LIBERIA: WOMEN :
Female presidents vow to empower women

5/11/2012 3:20:00 AM
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MONROVIA - Africa’s two female heads of state, Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Malawian president Joyce Banda have joined forces to advance women empowerment in the continent. - Both Sirleaf and Banda have long championed women’s rights. And on Apr. 29 in Monrovia, they pledged to work together to accelerate efforts to improve women’s lives across the continent. However if they are to achieve their goals they will first have to deal with the immense challenges that lie before them. Using the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as a barometer, Liberia and Malawi generally score low in the areas of gender equality and women’s empowerment, education for girls, and maternal. While president Banda says there has never been a better time to advance women’s interest on the continent, a 2010 U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) report suggests of the two countries, Liberia is the only one likely to meet certain goals on equality and education, and Malawi remains unlikely to meet its targets for any of the three MDGs that focus on women. (END/RADIO BULLETIN EDITOR/2012)

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