Monrovia – Liberia fully participated in the just-ended Twenty-fifth session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP25 in Madrid, Spain.
The country’s delegation headed by the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Hon. Nathaniel T. Blama Sr. comprised of representations of Heads from Ministry of Gender Children & Social Protection, Forestry Development Authority, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Conservation International Liberia, Liberia National Student Union, Youth for Climate Initiative amongst others, with the intent of ensuring that Liberia’s voice is heard is every aspect of the negotiation processes.
COP25 is designed to take the next crucial steps in the UN climate change process. Following agreement on the implementation guidelines of the Paris Agreement at COP 24 in Poland last year, a key objective is to complete several matters with respect to the full operationalization of the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
This year’s conference furthermore serves to build ambition ahead of 2020, in which countries have committed to submit new and updated national climate action plans. Crucial climate action work is expected to be taken forward in areas including finance, the transparency of climate action, forests and agriculture, technology, capacity building, loss and damage, indigenous peoples, cities, oceans and gender.
At the UN negotiations, Government of Liberia, along with Fauna & Flora International and the Government of Burkina Faso, was spotted on an official side event on cataloging countries perspective on the REDD+. The National REDD+ programme has been supported by the Government of Liberia, the World Bank, and the Government of Norway.
During the joint side event organized by Liberia and Burkina Faso held on Thursday, December 5, 2019, there were presentations made by the Liberian delegation which focused on four thematic area under the REDD + in country activities. Those thematic areas include: Safeguard Information System (SIS); Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC); Feedback Grievance Redress Mechanism (FGRM) and the Wonegizi REDD+ in Lofa County.
Speaking on the SIS, the EPA Media and Communication Specialist Danise Love Dennis indicated that the SIS enables Liberia to better comply with domestic law and is now more relevant by holding ourselves accountable to the indicators. She continued by informing the audience that “the SIS grew out of the strategic Environmental and Social Assessment to give guidance for any social challenges resulting from the REDD+”. Madam Dennis further disclosed that there is a Safeguard Working Group that serves as a medium of coordinating function of different line ministries and agencies on all social issues that arises. She said the EPA is currently chairing that working group due to the institution’s key role with backing by its mandate.
During a panel discussion, Danise also showcase Liberia’s SIS website and data system and said “the principle, criteria and indicator for Liberia’s SIS aim to reflect the country’s context within the organization framework of the Cancun safeguards. She concluded by saying “the SIS website is live and currently adding evidence for the indicators as activities happens. And interested individual can make use the platform in generating report on the country‘s progress”.
For his part, Hon. Nathaniel T. Blama lectured on the Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and said; “The Liberian Constitution is the legal basis for which FPIC is considered in Liberia”. According to him, Liberia has developed FPIC guidelines to help groups ensure they are getting consent from the communities they are working with.
“Our laws demand that we share information and get consent. It is against this background we have developed a ‘National Framework’ on how to do FPIC for REDD+ which takes into account Liberia’s own circumstances”.
Hon. Blama further disclosed that there are five stages to reach FPIC. “Step one looks at the planning and scooping of development and the second takes into account the initial engagement, stakeholder identification, communication and validation; steps three speaks to participation mapping and demarcation of socio-economic, environment and boundary features”. In furtherance, he said that the fourth steps of FPIC look at the negotiation and consent on terms of project and social agreement and while the last step focus on the monitoring, review and grievance management that is consider aa a regular review circle. Hon. Blama ended his statement by saying; FPIC is all about preparation, consultation and implementation.
From the angel of the Forestry Development Authority, Mr. Saad A David, National REDD Coordinator looked at the Feedback Grievance Redress Mechanism (FGRM). He lamented that the FRGM was an overhauling way of preventing and dealing with grievances in a spirit of reducing conflicts in the country.
“Not until 2017 that this FRGM was giving real attention. The attention was given considering the violent conflict that took place in the Sapo National Park, Sinoe County between the community and the rangers. This action demonstrated the urgency for a real and meaningful FGRM”.
Adding, Mr. David said that the FRGM work in country with an approach starting from individual level, moving toward setting up a township grievance redress committee, to the chiefdom to the county and the finally to the court of Law. All is aim at preventing conflict and means of solving disputes outside the court.
He also mentioned that, “local people do not have the resources to go to court and this leave issues simmering. Applying these approaches reduces the barrier for resolving conflict and produce faster result”.
For Liberia final presentation, the FFI stated that the Wonegizi project focuses on Conservation Agriculture programme and Sustainable Livelihoods Activities; the co-management of the Multiple Use Reserve (MSUR) including the joint patrolling and biomonitoring as well as the Gazettement of the PPA into a MSUR.
“Full community participation in agreeing line as part of the broader consent process and effective resolution of community grievances leading are cataloged as achievements of the project whilst the; balancing agricultural expansion and conservation of resources as a major challenge the project face with.
The Paris Agreement formally acknowledges the urgent need to scale up our global response to climate change, which supports even greater ambition from governments, Liberia at COP25 is in readiness to showcase her potentials and share live experiences with both developed and developing countries. Evidence to this is the many invitations the country’s received to give its perspectives on climate change initiative at different side events.
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