UNDP Liberia and UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC) convened a knowledge sharing workshop to establish a comparative perspective on monitoring and evaluation (M&E) mechanisms of one-stop service centres for survivors of Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) in the Republic of Liberia and the Republic of Korea on 6 December 2021. Since 2020, USPC has been supporting the Liberian government through its SDG Partnership programme* to establish and strengthen its GBV response mechanisms by benchmarking Korea’s Sunflower Centers. 

Fully funded by the Korean Government, Sunflower Centers apply an integrated one-stop service mechanism which provide medical, counselling, legal and police investigation services for SGBV survivors in a single location. Centers have been designed to reduce and eliminate issues stemming from long waiting periods in hospitals, denial of treatment, and having to visit multiple institutions such as police stations, and legal offices. 

The webinar identified progress as well as strategic opportunities in incorporating Korean best practices of M&E in the Liberian context. The Liberian Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and the Ministry of Justice, participated in identifying the next steps to reinforce systematic M&E mechanisms. 

Ms. Vivian Innis, Gender Justice Specialist of UNDP Liberia, Mr. Kwein Simeon, Director of GBV Division at the Ministry of Gender Children Social Protection, introduced how the Liberian one-stop service centres currently manage and monitor information on SGBV. As the Ministry charged with organizing the M&E system relating to SGBV response in Liberia, Mr. Simeon explained that the Ministry is not only collecting SGBV incident reports from across the country but also compiling statistical reports on a quarterly and annual basis. Mr. Won Jang, SGBV Consultant at USPC, delivered a comprehensive technical presentation on key lessons learned from Korea’s experience of establishing Sunflower Centers and strengthening the monitoring framework. He particularly emphasized the importance of identifying contextually appropriate M&E indicators. 

The ensuring discussion allowed participants to compare each other’s employee retention experiences as well as maintaining financial sustainability of the one-stop service centres. USPC and partners from Liberia agreed on the importance of building a solid legal basis to ensure not only the sustainability of the centres but also the effectiveness of M&E mechanisms. Participants further compared each other’sreferral services, and concluded by  stressing the importance of putting in place an effective referral service to minimize secondary victimization.

The event concluded with partners from Liberia expressing enthusiasm for continued partnership to further develop the country’s GBV response mechanisms. UNDP Liberia and USPC agreed to use this fruitful exchange on context-specific challenges and opportunities as stepping stone to enhance the M&E system for one stop centres in Liberia.

* USPC shares Korea's tested-and-proven policy tools with other countries through SDG Partnerships. As part of this effort, since 2017, USPC has been working with the Korean Police, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and Sunflower Centers to share their knowledge and experience in responding to SGBV with partner countries around the world.