Monrovia, Liberia - The Office of Liberia’s First Lady, Clar Marie Weah, says it is keen on exploring new avenues of partnership at the ongoing 23^rd Ordinary General Assembly of the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD).

OAFLAD’s 23^rd Ordinary General Assembly, taking place on the sidelines of the 33rd African Union’s extraordinary summit in Niamey, Niger, kicked off on Thursday, July 4, 2019, with the theme “Collaborating to Transform Africa: Addressing the Needs of Vulnerable Populations.”

In a statement, the Office the Liberian First Lady said it would seek to form partnerships with various international organizations to support the She’s You Movement in Liberia.

The Movement, Mrs. Weah’s flagship program which was launched on June 20, 2019, is aimed at promoting women empowerment and ending all forms of violence against women and girls.

Such partnership, the statement said, would focus ending rape, child marriage, reducing maternal mortality, eliminating HIV Mother to Child Transmission and tackling non-communicable diseases including infertility, diabetes, cancer, among others which are the focus areas of the She’s You Movement.

According to a dispatch from Niamey, the Office of the First Lady also welcomed the theme of the ordinary assembly which stressed the need for more collaboration among African First Ladies and with partners improve the conditions of the vulnerable people.

High on the agenda of OAFLAD’s 23^rd Ordinary General Assembly are the elections of a new Steering Committee and the successors of Burkina Faso’s First Lady of Burkina Faso, Adjoavi Sika Kabore and her Kenyan counterpart Margaret Kenyatta, President and Vice President of OAFLAD respectively.

The First two days of the assembly (July 4-5, 2019) were marked by meetings of the Technical Advisors to discuss the operationalization of OAFLAD’s 2019-2023 Strategic Plan, Available New Partnerships and the effective operations of the organization among others.

A one-day meeting of the Steering Committee was held on July 6 followed by the General Assembly, scheduled for July 7-8, 2019, where First Ladies from OAFLAD’s 44 member states, including Liberia’s Clar Marie Weah, are expected to attend.

The Chief of Office Staff Madam Gaelle Mediem, Director of Press Mr. Arthur T. Y. Douglas, Jr. and Ms. Yatta Sanoh along with Mohammed Odu Massalee, a Gender Ministry Technical Advisor, are representing the Office of the First Lady at the event.