PRESIDENT GEORGE MANNEH WEAH: “The steps we are taking today as a government, with the support of our development partners, will not only help achieve socio-economic development in Liberia but will also help to save our planet”
In November 2022, President George Manneh Weah began championing the importance of the establishment of and operationalization of the African Carbon Market at the 27th Conference of Parties dubbed COP27 in Egypt.
This COP27 conference came on the heels of the United Nations Global Climate Change Conference at the Tonino Lamborghini International Convention Center in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
President Weah in his succinct message to global leaders attending the conference called on delegates and the entire COP to put previous promises into practice in order to achieve a zero-carbon future for everyone.
Additionally, the President pushed for clean energy, and climate solutions, support for those countries on the frontlines of climate including Liberia, and to reduce carbon emissions and methane simultaneously.
Importantly, the Liberian leader committed to the reduction of dangerous emissions of greenhouse gas by the shipping industry.
Weah’s Persistent Message
Now, President George Manneh Weah has elevated his advocacy for the establishment and operationalization of an African Carbon Market in order to help build and strengthen capacities and resilience against climate change.
It can be recalled that at COP 26 held in Glasgow, Scotland in 2021, the President proposed the idea of an African Carbon Market as the basis for a concerted effort to address climate change, while utilizing the associated opportunities for the socio-economic development of the people.
President Restates Liberia’s Effort
Earlier in February 2023, President Weah, renewed the call during the opening of a two-day Liberia Forest and Climate Resilience Forum at the EJS Ministerial Complex, describing the gathering as part of a national vision for managing the country’s forests in a sustainable way.
He stated that the gathering was the beginning of Liberia’s commitment to contributing to global efforts to address climate change, including leveraging carbon payments for national and community development.
Calls for Regional, Concerted Efforts
President Weah reiterated that Liberia and other countries in the region must work together with development partners and the private sector to establish and operationalize an Africa Carbon Market.
He said the Liberia Forest and Climate Resilience Forum marks an important milestone in the government’s collective efforts to achieve the goals of his Administration’s Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD), through sustainable forest management and climate finance.
The President asserted that the government was particularly looking forward to how it can strengthen partnerships and renew commitments for ensuring sustainable forest management in Liberia and enhancing climate resilience.
“The steps we are taking today as a government, with the support of our development partners, will not only help achieve socio-economic development in Liberia but will also help to save our planet,” the Liberian Leader said.
According to him, the Liberian Government is continuously providing strong leadership on climate change.
He announced that for the first time since 2006, “We were able to prepare a State of the Environment Report and a National Environmental Action Plan in 2021.”
President Weah added that the report will inform development policy and investment decisions in key sectors going forward.
“Fundamental to all of this is the fact that, under our leadership, we now have in operation a comprehensive Land Rights Act, which harmonizes strongly with other existing natural resource management laws,” he told participants of the Forum.
He indicated how Liberia maintains the largest portion of the remaining Upper Guinea Forest and that Liberia is recognized as being among some of the key biodiversity hotspots in the world.
According to the President, his Government is currently creating new Protected Areas to expand the already existing protected area network, so as to “meet our targets under national and international conservation commitments.”
He emphasized that such an initiative will boost the potential for ecotourism and create more jobs for our people.
President Weah also announced that the government is additionally developing the capacities of communities to manage their forests, including land-use planning and formalization.
He noted: “We are improving policies and revising laws and regulations, for commercial forestry to be more sustainable. Of course, there are still challenges and issues, but we remain unrelenting in our efforts to deal with them. Sooner, rather than later, under my leadership, we will surmount these challenges in order to ensure that forest resources benefit all Liberians.”
He said Liberia looks with a great deal of optimism, working with development partners, in improving governance of the forest sector and enabling forest-dependent communities to develop sustainable jobs and income-creation enterprises.
President Weah pledged his government’s commitments and demonstrated actions that stand with the rest of the world in combating climate change.
Extending specific thanks to partners that to contribute to the development of the forest and environmental sectors of Liberia, including mobilizing immense resources to meet commitments of Liberia’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
Specific commendations are extended to the Kingdom of Norway, the United States Government, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the Government of Sweden. Others are the World Bank, UNDP, FAO, and other organizations for their invaluable technical and financial support.
President Weah also recognized the efforts of all national and international civil society organizations who continue to help communities over the years to assert their rights and organize better to manage natural resources in Liberia.
“We owe special gratitude to all government institutions involved with the management of our forest and natural resources generally, for getting us to where we are today though we know that there is a lot more that still needs to be done,” the Liberia Chief Executive said in closing.
It may be recalled, in October 2022, President George Weah, launched the Implementation Plan for the country’s revised ambitious National Determined Contributions (NDCs) towards reducing greenhouse gases responsible for climate change in a move to accelerate the government’s actions on the climate change emergency.
The Implementation Plan, also known as the Road Map, outlines how Liberia will reduce greenhouse gases in nine key sectors of the economy – agriculture, coastal zones, fisheries, health, forests, transport, industry, energy, and waste.
“No country is immune to the impacts of climate change. In Liberia, climate change is causing disruption in agriculture, coastal erosion, and perennial flooding, critically impacting the agriculture, energy, and fisheries sectors,” President Weah stated.
The Liberia President urged all government officials to ensure that the NDC Implementation Plan was implemented to its fullest because the country’s development and prosperity hinge on being able to adapt to and mitigate against the effects of climate change while asking development partners help the government to mobilize about USD 491 million required to implement the plan between 2021 and 2025.
President Weah said his government was working towards the establishment of a carbon trading mechanism as promised during in 2021 climate change conference of parties, COP26 held in Glasgow, Scotland.
The Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Prof. Wilson Tarpeh, who was appointed the Climate Change Ambassador for West Africa, commended the NDC Implementation Plan as the Government of Liberia’s first-ever effort of moving a multilateral environmental agreement from the shelf into an actionable road map.
He said the NDC Implementation Plan was fully aligned with the Government’s Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD).
UK’s Ambassador to Liberia H.E. Neil Bradley commended the Government of Liberia for setting off the NDC implementation, affirming the need for proper financing of the NDC Implementation Plan saying the international community must scale up “the billions of dollars being directed to climate action into trillions of dollars”.
Ambassador Bradley said the world was moving from one cycle of disaster followed by rebuilding to another, the cycles increasing in frequency and ferocity, saying climate justice has been shown to be inextricably linked with social and economic justice.
“If we don’t bend the curve of global warming downwards in this decade, we will go beyond the ability of the planet and people’s ability to adapt to the impacts of climate change,” he warned.
