Gbowee Wants August 18 Declared Liberia Peace Day

By Edwin N. Khakie

MONROVIA, September 22, 2026 — Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee has called for legislation declaring August 18 of each year as Liberia Peace Day, saying the commemoration would honor the sacrifices that helped end the country’s civil conflict and remind future generations of the importance of preserving peace.

Gbowee made the call during a high-level discussion on Women, Peace and Security at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where she reflected on the role Liberian women played in pressing the country’s warring factions to end years of bloodshed.

August 18 marks the signing of the 2003 Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Accra, Ghana, by the Liberian government, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) and political parties. The agreement formally ended the armed conflict and established a framework for Liberia’s political transition.

Gbowee said formally recognizing the date should go beyond an annual national commemoration and serve as an opportunity to educate younger Liberians about the consequences of war and their responsibility to preserve the country’s peace.

She proposed incorporating peace messages into schools and public facilities across Liberia to promote a culture of peace and ensure that the lessons of the country’s violent past are passed on to younger generations.

The Nobel laureate’s call draws on the historic role of Liberian women in the peace process. Through the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace, Christian and Muslim women organized demonstrations and pressed political leaders and armed groups to pursue peace, including taking their demands directly to the negotiations in Accra.

Gbowee also recalled support she said she received from President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, then Vice President, during the 2003 women’s peace campaign.

According to Gbowee, Boakai took her to a Rotary Club meeting in Mamba Point as part of efforts to raise money for the women’s campaign.

She recalled that after she was asked to leave the meeting because of her appearance, Boakai personally contributed US$300 toward the peace campaign.

Gbowee said establishing August 18 as Liberia Peace Day would provide a permanent national occasion to remember those who contributed to ending the conflict while reinforcing the responsibility of successive generations to safeguard the country’s peace.

The call comes 23 years after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, with Liberian civil society organizations continuing to use the anniversary to promote reconciliation, accountability and remembrance.

The post Gbowee Wants August 18 Declared Liberia Peace Day appeared first on Liberia news The New Dawn Liberia, premier resource for latest news.