A three-day justice conference convened by Aiding Disadvantaged and Traumatized Women and Girls (ADWANGA) has ended with renewed calls for Liberia to move beyond discussions about transitional justice and take concrete steps toward accountability, reparations and healing for victims and survivors of the country's civil conflicts.
At the heart of the closing addresses was a common message: the proposed War and Economic Crimes Court must be part of a broader national effort to confront the consequences of wartime violence, including sexual and gender-based violence, economic deprivation and the long-term trauma experienced by individuals, families and communities.
The conference, held in Monrovia from October 12 to 14, 2026, brought together Liberian officials, survivors, lawyers, religious leaders, researchers, civil society representatives and international experts to examine the relationship between justice, gender-based violence, reparations and public accountability.
Organized under the theme "Constitutional Futures of Justice: Gendered Violence, Decolonizing Reparations, and the Making of Public Accountability in Liberia," the gathering was organized by ADWANGA in collaboration with York University and other partners, including Medica Mondiale and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
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Mrs. Amelia Cooper, ADWANGA's Founder and Executive Director, used her closing remarks to challenge national leaders and institutions to translate their stated commitment to justice into practical measures.
Cooper welcomed the participation of local and international experts, government representatives, civil society organizations and survivors, while acknowledging the work involved in bringing the conference together. She said the discussions had raised issues that participants should take back to their institutions and use to inform their work.
But she emphasized that the establishment of the proposed court must be approached carefully, with peace and reconciliation remaining central to the process.
"We pray that this court will be open. However, we hope that when it's open, at the end of it, we'll find peace and reconciliation. We'll be reconciled with one another," Cooper said.
She warned that a poorly managed process could deepen divisions rather than resolve them, urging decision-makers to consider the potential consequences of how the court is established and operates.
Cooper was particularly emphatic about the need for tangible commitment from those responsible for advancing the process.
"When you talk about political will, it shouldn't be just talking. It should be action," she said. "You must be able to invest into this political will. It shouldn't just be mouth talk."
Her remarks underscored the central challenge facing Liberia's transitional justice agenda: turning public commitments and institutional preparations into a functioning accountability mechanism capable of contributing to lasting peace.
Anna M. Agathangelou of York University, who has worked with ADWANGA on related research over the past 15 years, cautioned against treating sexual and gender-based violence, war crimes, economic crimes and corruption as isolated problems.
She described the conference as part of a longer process of research and public engagement, rather than a stand-alone event, and argued that the issues under discussion must be understood in relation to the kind of society Liberia wants to build.
"We don't see SGBV or war and economic crimes or corruption, for that matter, as being segregated moments or events," Agathangelou said, explaining that these phenomena can reinforce one another.
She urged participants to consider whether Liberia wants communities shaped primarily by violence or societies that create the conditions for people to live with dignity and thrive.
For Agathangelou, the proposed court's institutional design must be linked to a broader social vision. She highlighted two complementary approaches: co-creation, in which survivors help shape priorities, policies and programs, and co-production, in which they participate in implementing, managing and evaluating those initiatives.
Her argument was that survivors should not merely be consulted after decisions have been made. They should help determine what justice and restoration should look like and how those objectives are pursued.
She said the wider goal should be to move society away from "dependency and exclusion and violence towards a shared authority, dignity, and accountability."
That approach places survivor participation at the center of both institutional design and the practical delivery of reparative measures.
Professor Siba Grovogui, a Professor of Africana Studies at Cornell University, challenged participants to expand conversations about gender-based violence to examine men's experiences, social expectations and the ways some men respond to questions of identity and their place in society.
Drawing on his experience in South Africa and other settings, Grovogui argued that discussions of sexual violence should not overlook the social and psychological dynamics affecting men, while maintaining the need to confront violence and protect survivors.
He urged communities to recognize that men also need support and education to understand their roles within families and society, rather than resorting to violence to assert authority.
"Men need a lot of help," Grovogui said, emphasizing the importance of examining the social conditions that contribute to violent behavior.
He argued that future discussions should pay greater attention to how men understand their relationships with children, partners and other family members, and how societies can challenge harmful expressions of authority.
His contribution broadened the conference's gender discussion beyond the experiences of women and girls alone, while reinforcing the need to address violence through education, social change and accountability.
In another closing address, Sara Fremberg, representative from Medica Mondiale, thanked participants, survivors, trauma experts, lawyers, religious leaders and international guests for contributing to the discussions on the proposed Economic and War Crimes Court and reparations.
She also highlighted Liberia's position as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, describing it as an opportunity for the country and those working on justice to advance the issue internationally.
"Liberia is at the moment a non-permanent member at the UN Security Council," she said. "So, this is really an opportunity for all of you to make history."
Her remarks linked the domestic transitional justice process to Liberia's wider international engagement, while encouraging participants to recognize the significance of the current moment.
The closing discussions also echoed concerns raised earlier in the conference by Cllr. Dr. Jallah A. Barbu, Executive Director of the Office for the Establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court for Liberia (OWECC-L).
Barbu described the court-building process as a matter of constitutional responsibility and public participation, rooted in the recommendations of Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). He stressed that transitional justice is a continuing process, not a single event.
"Transitional justice itself is a process and not an event," Barbu said in his earlier remarks.
He explained that a victim-centered approach must go beyond providing legal representation. Victims should have meaningful opportunities to participate in proceedings, including through provision for victims' counsel separate from the prosecution.
But Barbu also cautioned against waiting for the court to become operational before addressing survivors' immediate needs.
"Do we wait until the law is passed, and now we say we have court on paper ... or can we begin to do something now as we go on?" he asked, pointing to people who continue to live with physical injuries, psychological trauma, loss of property and other consequences of the war.
"People are dying. People are sick from the war, and they need to go to hospital. They need to be treated," he said.
Barbu further raised questions about the resources required to make the proposed court operational, including whether adequate funding would be available for its establishment and continuing work. He emphasized that institutional promises must be matched by practical support and decisions that benefit the Liberian people.
His earlier remarks reinforced a key theme of the conference: the proposed court is important, but justice for survivors cannot be reduced to the eventual opening of a courtroom.
The conference's broader focus on reparations reflected the understanding that criminal accountability alone cannot address the full consequences of Liberia's conflicts.
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The country's civil wars left deep physical, psychological, social and economic scars. Survivors may continue to face the loss of family members, livelihoods and property, as well as trauma that affects their families and communities across generations.
The discussions therefore considered how reparations could recognize harm, restore dignity, provide support and help survivors rebuild their lives. Participants also examined how sexual and gender-based violence intersects with economic vulnerability, land access and the effects of resource extraction on communities.
Cooper said the conference topics were informed by research and encouraged participants to take the findings into their respective organizations and offices, rather than allowing the discussions to end with the event.
She also urged civil society organizations and other partners to continue working together toward the common good of Liberia.
The closing addresses brought together several strands of the conference: the need for a legally sound court, meaningful participation by survivors, practical reparations, adequate institutional resources and a wider commitment to reconciliation.
They also highlighted the importance of ensuring that any new accountability mechanism earns public trust by responding to the needs and experiences of those most affected by past violence.
Liberia's proposed War and Economic Crimes Court remains part of a broader transitional justice process linked to the TRC's recommendations. The conference did not establish the court or settle the details of a reparations programme; instead, it provided a forum for examining the choices, responsibilities and practical measures needed to advance them.
The message from the closing speakers was nevertheless clear: justice must mean more than legislation, court structures or public declarations. It must also be reflected in the treatment of survivors, the allocation of resources, the recognition of harm and the creation of conditions in which violence is less likely to recur.
As Cooper put it, political will must be demonstrated through action. For Liberia, the challenge now is to turn that principle into measurable progress on accountability, reparations and national healing.
