Stakeholders from various government ministries and agencies over the weekend held a daylong session providing inputs and suggestions for the country driven process of Liberia’s Adaptation Communication (AdCom) development.
The participants from public institutions including the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection, Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services, the National Public Health Institute of Liberia, the National Fisheries and Aqua-Culture Authority, the Judiciary, the Federation of Liberian Youth among others were locked up in a brain storming session discussing the roadmap for the production of Liberia’s Adaptation Communication document.
The workshop which was organized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with support from UNDP, the Nationally Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network, UKaid, the Federal Ministry for Economic corporation and Development and Canada 1+1 was held in Sinkor, Monrovia with about 40 participants including facilitators in attendance.
Key topics covered during the session include objective and background to the AdCom process and its importance to Liberia; review of Liberia’s AdCom proposed annotated outline, methodology and style of compilation (example of Canada and Marshall Island).
Others were Key Adaptation sectors and messages to be included in the AdCom document; key Sectoral/adaptation support and implementation needs for Liberia and identification of national adaptation efforts and successes to convey for each retained sectors.
Speaking at the onset of the workshop, the project officer of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) at the EPA, Arthur Becker said, the gathering provides the opportunity and create the platform for Liberia’s AdCom document.
Serving as proxy for EPA Executive Director Wilson Tarpeh, Mr. Becker further explained that the goal of the on-going process is to translate the Nationally Adaptation Pan (NAP) framework into a public awareness document that will be circulated and utilize across the 15 counties in Liberia.
He disclosed that the additional four sectors of the NAP which include fisheries and industries would provide windows of opportunities to source funding from international donor(s) partners for implementation in the near future.
Mr. Becker named climate impacts and risks, relevant institutions, and legal policy frameworks; national adaptation priorities and plans; implementation and support needs; and a full list of elements that parties are invited to include information on what can be found in decision 9/CMA.1 (2018).
On issue as to the purposes of an ADCOM, it was said that it is intended to enhance visibility and profile of adaptation, and balance with mitigation; provides input to the global stocktaking (GST); strengthen adaptation action and developing countries; and enhance learning and understanding of adaptation needs and actions.
An Adaptation Communication is a voluntary, flexible, and country-driven document framework established under Article 7, of the Paris Agreement. It is a mechanism for countries to report priorities, implementation and support needs, plans and actions, without creating any additional burden for developing country parties.