[{"bbox": [96, 165, 1164, 326], "category": "Text", "text": "Women's empowerment is a central strategy in the development of the selected value chains, notably cassava, fish and wood. The Action prioritises gender equality throughout the implementation of activities, spanning from production to transformation and distribution phases within the value chains. Additionally, gender equality considerations are integrated into entrepreneurship support initiatives, including capacity-building programmes tailored to address the specific needs of women. This intervention aligns with the objectives of the EU GAP III, further reinforcing its commitment to promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in development initiatives."}, {"bbox": [96, 362, 237, 389], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## Human rights"}, {"bbox": [96, 400, 1164, 641], "category": "Text", "text": "The Action will uphold human rights and promote responsible business conduct, with a particular focus on fostering decent work and implementing occupational health and safety measures at workplaces. The Action will also promote the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and raise awareness to eradicate forced labour, including child labour. Liberia has ratified various international and regional normative frameworks that include, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1984; the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa in 2008; the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2012; the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1993; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, among others¹⁹. This Action will apply a rights-based approach throughout the design and implementation of the intervention as well as an intersectionality approach."}, {"bbox": [96, 676, 195, 703], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## Disability"}, {"bbox": [96, 715, 1164, 979], "category": "Text", "text": "As per OECD disability DAC codes identified in section 1.1, this Action is labelled as D1. This classification indicates that people with disabilities (PWD) will be a target group of the Action, as they often face considerable educational and occupational obstacles. The average percentage of PWD in Liberia reaches 14.2% according to data from 2016²⁰. The causes of disability vary, ranging from congenital conditions and birth trauma to accidents and illness. The two civil wars in Liberia between 1999 and 2003 also caused an increase in the number of PWD. The Action is committed to upholding the rights of PWD, ensuring that all planned activities related to project formulation, implementation and evaluation are inclusive of PWD. The Action will also actively encourage partners and programme participants to undertake initiatives aimed at safeguarding the rights of PWD. Furthermore, the Action will be in line with the EU Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030²¹, and the guidance note on disability inclusion in EU external action."}, {"bbox": [96, 1017, 343, 1044], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## Reduction of inequalities"}, {"bbox": [96, 1056, 1164, 1189], "category": "Text", "text": "In 2021 Liberia faced significant socio-economic challenges, with 51% of the population living below the poverty line²² and an income per capita stood at USD 680. The country ranked 175 out of 189 countries on the UNDP Human Development Index of 2022, reflecting its low levels of human development. Liberia also struggles with limited financial inclusion, low literacy rates and poor-quality education, contributing to one of the largest gender gaps and socio-economic disparities in the world."}, {"bbox": [96, 1201, 1164, 1282], "category": "Text", "text": "Education access remains a pressing issue, with an estimated 47% of women and girls, and 33% of men and boys, having never attended school. In rural areas, these rates are even higher, reaching 63% and 43% respectively. In addition, the education system fails to equip students with the necessary skills for employment."}, {"bbox": [96, 1294, 1164, 1401], "category": "Text", "text": "To address these challenges, the Action aims to enhance employment creation and expand access to business opportunities for the population, thus, laying the groundworks for addressing economic inequalities in a sustained manner. By focusing on job creation and women's economic empowerment, the Action is expected to have a positive impact on livelihoods and socio-economic development."}, {"bbox": [96, 1437, 211, 1464], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## Democracy"}, {"bbox": [86, 1548, 545, 1573], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁹ Liberia Gender Equality Profile. UN Women (2021)."}, {"bbox": [86, 1572, 570, 1596], "category": "Footnote", "text": "²⁰ https://disabilitydata.ace.fordham.edu/country-briefs/lr/."}, {"bbox": [86, 1596, 866, 1622], "category": "Footnote", "text": "²¹ https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId=en&pubId=8376&furtherPubs=yes."}, {"bbox": [86, 1621, 689, 1645], "category": "Footnote", "text": "²² https://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/Country-Profiles/MPI/LBR.pdf."}, {"bbox": [1023, 1680, 1143, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 12 of 25"}]