15 August 2018: Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), supported by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), has launched its National Policy and Response Strategy on Climate Change. The Policy and Response Strategy aim to ensure an effective and coherent climate change adaptation process and serve as the pillar for comprehensive sectoral strategies and action plans.

The policy and strategy seek to enable better coordination of climate change work in Liberia, provide cooperation and collaboration opportunities between the government and stakeholders, and enhance ongoing efforts related to Liberia’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

The launch took place during an event in Monrovia, Liberia, attended by representatives from government, donor agencies, international and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), women and youth groups, and research and academic institutions.

The graduate programme in environmental science at the University of Liberia will prepare students to address the complexities of environmental problems.

The policy was developed with support from the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) through a project funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The project aims to advance the NAP process for medium-term investment planning in climate-sensitive sectors and Liberia’s coastal areas by: strengthening institutional frameworks and coordination for NAP process implementation; expanding the knowledge base for scaling up adaptation; building capacity for mainstreaming climate change adaptation into planning, and budgeting processes and systems; and formulating financing mechanisms for scaling up adaptation. The projects covers the agriculture, energy, waste management, forestry and health sectors.

On the sidelines of the launch, UNDP, EPA and the University of Liberia signed an agreement to establish a graduate programme in environmental science at the University of Liberia through the NAP project with GCF funding. The programme will prepare students to address the complexities of environmental problems, and combine interdisciplinary and environmental literacy, integration of qualitative and quantitative skills, and problem solving in the context of climate change resilience and adaptability. [National Policy and Response Strategy on Climate Change] [UNDP News Story on Liberia’s National Response to Climate Change] [Liberia’s NAP Website]