'More Support to Mental, Sexual Reproductive Health, Substance Abuse'

Heads of UN agencies in Liberia have concluded a one day virtual meeting with Her Royal Majesty, Mathilde,Queen of Belgium. Teenage pregnancies, mental health and drug abuse were highlighted during the virtual talks with the queen.

The purpose of the digital visit is to acquaint the queen with the workings and progress made by the United Nations in Liberia since the civil war, with emphasis on the high level of unemployment and poverty that is affecting the young people.

Queen Mathilde is visiting the UN House in Brussels. As a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG )Advocate, she discussed the value of international cooperation to achieve the SDGs and how to emerge stronger together from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UN team brought together  the Queen with young Liberian girls and youth via a video conference. The participants gave their views, challenges and experiences as it relates to mental health, teenage pregnancies, and overcoming drug abuse.

"Liberia holds a strange distinction of being one country where we have a 26-year old as grandmother,'' says Angeline Okoro, Country Representative for UNCHR.  I think there have been efforts deployed by the UN system headed by Niels that will turn this tie around to take the girl child and the woman to another level."

Also, investing in the health and education sector of Liberia was discussed with the queen. "The visit also highlights that without investing in human development, health, education and addressing the challenges and enduring that we recognize and are aware of the implications of mental health, Liberia will not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Laila O. Gad' UNICEF Resident Coordinator said.

Strategies to stop drugs from entering into the country, another UN official, Mohamed Cherif Diallo, said " Drugs coming into the country remain a huge challenge because Liberia is surrounded by borders. The UN is trying to strengthen the border security and law enforcement officers to track these drugs coming into the country."

UN Resident Coordinator, Niels Scott assures his team's commitment to working with the government of Liberia to address adolescent health including teenage pregnancies, substance abuse and mental health challenges.

Liberia is one of the youngest countries in the world where 63 percent of the population is below 25 years old. Three out of 10 girls get pregnant before 18. Four out of 5 sexual and gender-based violence survivors are girls.  

During the meeting with the queen, one of the participants explained the severe challenges she has faced with being a teenage mother in Liberia, saying she cannot attend school and associate freely with her peers because of the stigma around teenage mothers. However, she emphasized that her dream for the future is to go back to school and become a lawyer.

Queen Mathilde, in turn, expressed her appreciation to both the UN Country Team and the young girls and youth. Resident Coordinator Scott stressed the need to address the fundamental issues related to health care systems and bolster universal health coverage to support those that are left behind.

Meanwhile, in press stakeout with the UN Country Team following Her Majesty's virtual visit, Mr. Scott, flanked by heads of several UN agencies in Liberia, pledged the UN commitment to working with the Government of Liberia to address adolescent health including teenage pregnancies, substance abuse and mental health challenges.

It came 11 years after the queen Mathilda  made her in-person visit to Liberia in her capacity as UNICEF and UNAIDS Special Representative.

The Queen is also concerned about a range of social issues including education, child poverty, intergenerational poverty, the position of women in society, and literacy.

She  is the Honorary President of Child Focus Foundation for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children. Children’s well-being is for Her a fundamental principle and she dedicates herself to the fight against abduction and all forms of sexual abuse.

The Queen is Honorary President of UNICEF Belgium and of the Breast International Group a non-profit organization for academic breast cancer research groups from around the world). She was Europe Special Representative for Immunization for the World Health Organization.

As of 2014, the Queen has given Her High Patronage to the International Queen Elisabeth Music Competition founded in 1937 as an initiative of Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth and Belgian composer and violist Eugène Ysaÿe.

In 2016, the Queen was invited by the UN Secretary-General to join the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Advocacy Group.  This group of eminent personalities supports the United Nations Organization in mobilizing the international community to take action to achieve the SDGs by 2030. The Queen received the Honorary National German Sustainability Award 2017 for her years of social and humanitarian commitment as well as her contribution to the debate on the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals