Liberia kicks off preparations to the 26th Conference Of Party (COP) to the UNFCCC on climate change in Glasgow, the United Kingdom from October 30 to November 12, 2021 with a national climate dialogue.
The run-up events which are currently taking place at the Ministerial Complex run from October 18-20 with major actors that will be involved in the implementations of Liberia’s revised nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to the Paris Agreement which has been submitted on August 3, 2021 to the UN Convention on Climate Change.
The dialogue seeks to build consensus on its costing, effective financing, an implementation as well as to develop a roadmap for positioning Liberia in forthcoming international climate talks.
The dialogue brings together national actors, policy makers, environmental sector line agencies, corporations and ministries, youth organizations, women groups, local communities, media, Civil Society Organizations and the international partners.
Meanwhile, in response, European Union’s Ambassador Laurent DELAHOUSSE said the cost of inaction, of business as usual, is so much higher than all the current measures combined and averred that what matters is the ownership by all Liberian stakeholders of the process.
He recognized that Liberia has the potential to lead a low emission but reiterated that all stakeholders must act together to save the planet by reducing the effect of climate change noting, “protect what can be protected, mitigate what can be mitigated and adapt wherever we can adapt.”
He said Liberia may be one of the most vulnerable countries, but it is blessed with a unique and tremendous wealth in natural resources and promised that the EU’s full support in line with the roadmap.
Amb. DELAHOUSSE praised the Weah-led government for guiding the country to rise to the challenge as Liberia’s NDC roadmap outlines high contributing sectors such as agriculture, forestry, energy, and waste.
‘The European Union through a set of policies known as the green deal is stepping up support for its international partners to determine, revise, and implement their NDCs to the Paris Agreement so that they can achieve the dual benefits of emission reduction and sustainable development,” the Ambassador stated.
He said though the world has yet to invent a crisis that humans cannot solve, planet earth is the only home as there is no planet B but warned that Climate change is here and that it is faster and worse than predicted and with its effect felt throughout the planet, it means it is devastating.
While in a special remark, the Executive Director of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Wilson Tarpeh said Liberia is holding this national dialogue under a theme that seeks to answer crucial questions among which are what have been learned as the country Prepares for the COP26.
He said Liberia’s global mitigation efforts put it at the center in the fight against climate change as it can boast of primary forests, protecting the biodiversity hotspot and other vast natural resources, among other things.
The National Climate Dialogue is the second major national climate change forum being organized by the government under the table leadership of President George Weah to exemplify the government’s commitments to contribute to the global response to the threat of climate change towards achieving the Paris Agreement.
The objectives of the dialogue are to raise awareness build capacity and prepare Liberia’s COP26 delegates for the climate conference and negotiations; reaffirms Liberia’s common position for COP26 consistent with its member blocks; build consensus on the financing and implementing of the NDCs to discuss strategies for re-enforcing the alignment between the NDC and national development agenda, the PAPD among others.