By Wilfred S. Gortor
MONROVIA June 2 (LINA) – President George Manneh Weah has committed his administration and the nation to sustaining all multinational environment agreements and protocols on climate change.
Weah said the speedy ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change by the Liberian government depicts the seriousness and urgency which his Government attaches to the issues of climate change and the environment.
“Let me assure you that Liberia will continue to meet its obligations and responsibilities to the Paris Agreement as well as other conventions and protocols on climate change and the environment,” the Liberian leader assured guests attending a National Conference on the Environment and Climate Change in Monrovia on Wednesday.
Liberia signed the Paris Agreement since 2015, but failed to ratify it until President Weah assumed office in 2018.
Due to the critical importance of climate change and the role Liberia has always played in forging international collaboration and cooperation, the Liberian leader attached full priority and ensured that the Paris Agreement was ratified by the Legislature during his first year in office.
Commenting on efforts being made by the Liberian Government to combat climate change, President Weah said despite the disruption of human activities by COVID-19, Liberia has continued to revise its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), which is expected to be submitted to the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat before the end of 2021.
“Liberia’s revised NDC’s take into consideration all the key sectors across the entire spectrum of climate change and the environment, namely: Agriculture, Energy, Fisheries, Forestry, Green Corridor, Health, Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, Transport, Waste, Gender and Youth, amongst others,” Weah outlined.
President Weah noted that building climate-resilient infrastructure and environmentally-smart projects must be the centerpiece of “our national development program, the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD). This is why Government is working to align the PAPD with initiatives that are sensitive to issues of environment and climate change.”
He disclosed that the Government of Liberia is currently making critical interventions in land reclamation and coastal defense projects, citing that the D. Tweah High School and the Redemption Hospital, both in the Borough of New Kru Town in Monrovia, were recently saved from sea erosion.
The government, he said, is now embarking on a similar project for West Point, called “The Monrovia Metropolitan Climate Resilient Project.”
The total cost of the project, according to him, is US$25 million, and US$17.2 million is being funded by a grant from the Green Climate Fund, while another grant of US$10 million has been approved for a similar project in Greenville, Sinoe County.
“For almost three decades now, Liberia has not been able to conduct a national forest inventory that would enable us to know the approximate value of this critical asset to guide national development planning. However, with the support of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), I am pleased to report that Liberia has now concluded the first post-war national forest inventory. We are very grateful to the FAO for this support,” he cited.
Among other things, the Liberian leader stated that the inventory revealed that Liberia is still a forested nation that is endowed with many unique plant and animal species, adding, “I can attest to this because, during my recent County Tours, I witnessed and deeply appreciated the greenery of our country, and its vast and impressive forests.”
The Liberian leader then commended the Management and Staff of the Environmental Protection Agency for the work that they do in the interest of Liberia’s environment.
He at the same time admonished them to continue to do so for the good of Liberia.
