I'm Elise Hugh at today's TED Talks Daily. I'm super excited about today's episode. It's an incredible success story.

It's about what happens when you make a major shift by fundamentally changing the makeup of the people in power in a country. The Nobel laureate and global leader, Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, is 81 years old, but still unstoppable, tells her remarkable story in her talk from Ted Women 2019. I was the first woman president of an African nation. And I do believe more countries ought to try that.

Once the glass ceiling has been broken, it can never be put back together. However, one would try to do that.

When I assumed the presidency of Liberia in January 2006, we face the tremendous challenges of a post-conflict nation, collapsed economy. Destroyed infrastructure. Dysfunctional institutions, enormous debt, bloated civil service. We also faced. The challenges of those left behind, the primary victims of all civil wars, women and children. On my first day in office. I was excited. And I was exhausted. It had been a very long climb to where I was. Women had been those who suffered most in our civil conflict and women had been the ones to resolve it.

Our history records. Many women of strength and action, a president of the United Nations General Assembly, a renowned circuit court judge, a president of the University of Liberia. I knew. That I had to form a very strong team with the capacity to address the challenges of our nation, and I wanted to put women in all top positions, but I knew that was not possible. And so I settled for putting them in strategic positions, I recruited a very able economist from the World Bank to be our minister of finance to lead our debt relief effort, another to be the minister of foreign affairs, to reactivate our bilateral and multilateral relationships.

The first woman chief of police. To address the fears of our women who had suffered so much during the civil war, another to be the minister of gender, to be able to ensure the protection and the participation of women over time. The minister of Justice, minister of Public Works. Minister of Agriculture, minister of Commerce and Industry. Participation and leadership was unprecedented in my administration.

And although I knew that there were not enough women with the experience to form an all women cabinet as I want it, I settled to a point numerous women in junior ministerial positions as executives, as administrators in local government. In diplomatic service, in the judiciary, in public institutions. It was. At the end of 2012. Our economic growth had peaked. At nine percent. Our infrastructure would be reconstructed at a very fast pace, our institutions were functioning again, our debt of four point nine billion had been largely cancelled.

We had good relationships with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, we also had good working relationships with all our sister African countries. And many nations all over the world are women who sleep peacefully at night again without fear. Our children were smiling again, as I promised them during my first inaugural address. The reputation and credibility of our nation lost in the many years of conflict where we still still. But progress is never guaranteed, and in our legislature, my first term, women were 14 percent in the second term, it declined to eight percent because the environment was increasingly toxic.

I had my fair share of criticism and toxicity. Nobody is perfect. But there's nothing more predictable than a strong woman who wants to change things. Who is brave to speak out, who's bold inaction.

But I'm OK with the criticism. I know why I made the decisions I've made and I'm happy with the results, but that's why more women leaders are needed.

But they will always be those who will take us down, who would tear us apart because they want the status quo to remain, although sub-Saharan Africa has had major breakthroughs in women leadership and participation. Particularly in the legislature, in parliament, as is called, so many women, 50 percent and over one of our nation, well over 60 percent, the best in the world. But we know that's not enough. While we must be very. Thankful and applaud the progress we have made.

We know that there is much more work to be done. The work will have to address the lingering vestiges. Of structural. Something against women in too many places.

Political parties are based on patronage, patriarchy, misogyny that try to keep women from their rightful places that shut them out from taking leadership positions. Too often. Women face. Why are the best performers, while equal or better incompetence, unequal pay, and so we must continue to work to change things, we must be able to change the stereotyping. We must be able to ensure that those structural barriers that have kept women from being able to have the equity rightfully deserve.

And we must also work with men because increasingly there is recognition that full gender equity will ensure a stronger economy. A more developed nation, a more peaceful nation. And that is why we must continue to work, and that is why we are partners. I will be launching a center for women and Development that will bring together.

Women who have started and are committed to the joining of leadership with women who have excelled and advanced in leadership. Together over a 10 year period, we strongly believe that we will create this way. Of women who are prepared. To take unabashedly. Intentional leader and influence throughout the society. This is why. At 81, I cannot retire. Women are working for change. In Africa, women are working for change throughout the world. I will be with them and one of them.

Forever. Thank you for listening. Go out and change the world. Hi, I'm Sally Russian, while a host of a new podcast from Ted called Drop, every week you'll travel to a different location around the world, get lost in a new vibe and tap into a surprising idea.

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