August 29, 2024A COMMITMENT TO GENDER EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
The Liberia National Red Cross Society (LNRCS) is taking bold steps towards gender equality and diversity in leadership. At the conclusion of a three-day Protection, Gender, and Inclusion (PGI) workshop in Monrovia, LNRCS Chief Executive Officer Gregory Blamoh emphasized the urgent need for deliberate and definite actions to ensure women’s inclusion in decision-making positions within the organization.
“We are not yet where we need to be in terms of gender sensitivity and diversity,” Blamoh stated. “We must take affirmative action to include and support women in leadership roles. This is not just a challenge for the organization but also for our women to step forward, prepare themselves for leadership tasks, and make their voices heard.”
The workshop, led by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Senior PGI Officer, brought together senior management and field staff from five counties. The event underscores LNRCS’s commitment to ensuring that Protection, Gender, and Inclusion are integral to its operations.
Mr. Blamoh announced that LNRCS would actively recruit women from both chapter and headquarters levels to achieve a gender-balanced and diverse leadership team, aiming for at least 30% female representation.
“At the LNRCS, PGI is everyone’s responsibility,” Blamoh continued. “We are dedicated to addressing issues such as disability inclusion, child protection, gender equality, and combating sexual and gender-based violence. Our goal is to reach those in need with relevant and effective aid while ensuring that we do no harm in the process. This requires proactive and dedicated efforts from all of us.”
One of the key recommendations from the workshop was the reconstitution of the LNRCS Women’s Forum as the “LNRCS Commission on Women, Children, and People with Disabilities.” This proposed commission would play a pivotal role in advocating for and protecting the rights of women, children, and individuals with disabilities within the organization and beyond.
M. Wee Rogers, the LNRCS National Treasurer and a top governance member vowed to campaign alongside other governance members to establish this new commission. He also called for its inclusion in the National Society’s constitution, emphasizing that LNRCS must prioritize diversity and inclusion at all levels.
The LNRCS is committed to establishing a diverse group of champions within its leadership to advocate for protection, gender, and inclusion. This commitment includes recruiting and appointing more female commissioners, ensuring the representation of people with disabilities (PWD) in both governance and management, and actively recruiting women, PWDs, and other minority groups as volunteers, members, staff and leaders.
