In an effort to mitigate the increasingly harmful or destructive effects of climate change around the world, including Liberia, a “Strategic Alliance Agreement” has been signed between Interstellar Inc., also known as InterstellarM2M, and WorldTel Corporation.

According to a press statement issued over the weekend, the strategic alliance brings together an expanding team that will use market forces to solve the funding challenges that would ensure tree planting, forest regeneration, and soil health, for sustainable climate friendly agriculture.

The press statement notes that the purpose of the alliance is primarily the development of a “go to” carbon market digital trading platform that allows sellers and buyers of national and global carbon credits an informal voluntary open market place.

The press statement further states that the Alliance Agreement brings together traders, agents, registries, sellers, and buyers to the platform, allowing for the rescaling, tracking, and retiring of each trade. It adds that the software operating system known as “Ceario Trader” has been designed to support international, regional and national climate carbon credits regulations.

It may be recalled that InterstellarM2M signed an innovative tripartite agreement on September 9, 2024, with Liberia Credit Carbon Development and Trading Corporation, LibCarbon.com, and Africa Environmental Watch, aimed at developing “nature solution” under a program to grow “the right trees” to combat climate change.

However, the Chairman for Interstellar Inc., Mr. Gerald F.B. Cooper, has pointed out that “Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) or Not for Profit Organizations are not provided with open free market funding to those in need and willing to plant trees to mitigate the climate change problem.”

“Their model, and the mandatory intervention system are outdated and have
failed mankind in solving global warming caused by CO2 and other emission gases since the Kyoto Protocol adoption,” he said.
Mr. Cooper, who is also Chairman of Trinity Agro Corporation, which focuses on environmentally friendly farming, also states, “funding has been challenged to farmers willing to plant the right trees, particularly as mining for minerals and clearing forests to harvest cash crops like cocoa, become more attractive to communities in Africa.”

“This agreement marks an important step in InterstellerM2M’s mission to continue to provide customizable solutions to its clients via combining generational tech through the horizontal technology of “Internet of Things (IoT),” says Shon M. Cooper, visionary, designer and head of R&D at InterstellarM2M. “By working with WorldTel Corporation, we can bring together complementary strengths in technology, connectivity, and customer delivery to create meaningful end to end values for the organizations we serve.”

For its part, WorldTel states that it is pleased to formalize this strategic alliance with InterstellarM2M. Mr. Richard Butler, co-founder and Vice President of WorldTel Corporation states: “Together, we are positioned to deliver integrated solutions that support customers’ evolving communications needs and help them compete in an increasingly connected global carbon credits marketplace.”

InterstellarM2M, located in Reston, Virginia, USA, is focused on helping organizations modernize infrastructure to track assets, register and monitor assets, deploy advanced digital capabilities in monitoring assets, and build resilient platforms for growth.

WorldTel Corporation is a multi-division technology company, co-founded by Messrs Jason Roth and Richard Butler, which is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.

The partnership between InterstellaM2M and WorldTel is being announced as the world debated last week at Climate Week NYC 2026, and world leaders at the ongoing United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meet ahead of the UN climate summit (COP31) this coming November.

These international engagements are in line with efforts to mitigate the increasingly harmful and damaging effects of global climate change.

MONROVIA — ActionAid Liberia has led more than 20 civil society organizations in presenting the Monrovia Climate Declaration to the House of Representatives, calling for debt justice, increased climate financing and stronger action to protect Liberia from the impacts of climate change.

The declaration was presented through the House Committee on Claims and Petitions, chaired by Montserrado County District #8 Representative Prince Toles, following the launch of the National Debt and Climate Audit Report on Liberia.

The report examines Liberia’s growing public debt, estimated at US$2.84 billion, and its implications for national development, public spending, and the country’s ability to respond effectively to climate change.

Presenting the declaration, Chairperson of the National Civil Society Council of Liberia, Lawrence Yealue, said the petition was not a protest but a democratic call for action on behalf of citizens across Liberia.

“We have come here today not to protest, but to present a petition that represents the collective voice of civil society organizations and citizens of Liberia,” Yealue said.

He said the declaration is backed by research conducted by ActionAid Liberia and reflects growing concern over the country’s debt burden and the urgent need for policies that promote both debt and climate justice.

Yealue noted that although Liberia continues to meet its debt obligations, the country’s rising debt burden is limiting the government’s capacity to invest adequately in critical sectors, including education, healthcare, roads and other essential public services.

He also highlighted the disproportionate impact of climate change on Liberia, despite the country’s relatively small contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.

According to Yealue, Liberia continues to face serious climate-related challenges, including coastal erosion, flooding, and other environmental threats.

“The countries of the Global North have historically contributed the most to climate change,” he said. “As they continue to ask countries like Liberia to preserve our forests and protect the environment, they must also take responsibility by providing debt relief and increased climate financing. We are not the cause of this crisis, yet we are paying the highest price.”

Yealue urged the Liberian Legislature to take a more active role in advocating for debt cancellation, debt relief, and climate justice. He also said civil society organizations will continue to raise Liberia’s concerns internationally, including at the upcoming COP31 Climate Conference.

“This is a call to action,” Yealue stressed. “Together with ActionAid Liberia and citizens across the country, we are asking our lawmakers to stand with us as we push for fair debt policies, debt relief, and meaningful climate justice.”

Part of National Climate Debt Campaign

The petition forms part of the ongoing National Climate Debt Campaign, launched under the theme, “Who Owes Who? Join the Campaign and Have Your Say.”

The campaign is calling on the Liberian Government and the international community to reduce the country’s debt-servicing obligations and redirect resources toward climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as national development priorities such as education, healthcare, roads, and infrastructure.

The Monrovia Climate Declaration is based on findings from the National Debt and Climate Audit Report, a research initiative conducted by ActionAid Liberia to examine Liberia’s public debt and its implications for climate justice and sustainable development.

Before the declaration was presented to the Legislature, leaders of more than 20 civil society organizations, led by Yealue, formally signed the document to demonstrate their collective commitment to its recommendations and objectives.

The declaration represents a united effort by Liberia’s civil society organizations to amplify the country’s voice nationally and internationally and to push for debt justice, climate justice, and a more equitable and climate-resilient future.

A new study on Liberia’s environmental landscape reveals that the nation’s extreme vulnerability to climate change is being driven as much by governance failures as it is by rising sea levels and erratic weather patterns.

By Francis G. Boayue

Despite the visible and existential threats of coastal erosion and devastating floods, the research suggests that the institutions tasked with protecting Liberian citizens remain chronically underfunded, fragmented  and overstretched.

The research—led by Mohammed W. Bah, a PhD Candidate at the University of California, Irvine, alongside Co-Author Associate Professor

Nicola Ulibarri—highlights a troubling trend: a persistent gap between policy and practice.

While Liberia has been proactive in signing international climate treaties, the study finds that local agencies are struggling with a lack of technical staff and operational budgets.

This administrative paralysis leaves frontline communities exposed to disasters, even in areas where risks have been documented for decades.

A critical concern raised in the findings is Liberia’s overwhelming reliance on external funding. Currently, the vast majority of climate adaptation projects are directed by international partners rather than national initiatives.

“This makes progress vulnerable to shifting donor priorities and limits national governance ownership,” the study states. It further notes that climate action remains peripheral in national budgeting and general political discourse, treated more as a foreign-funded hobby than a national security priority.

The study further points to “procedural injustice,” claiming that high-stakes decisions—such as relocation plans for coastal dwellers in West Point or New Kru Town—are often made without meaningful participation from the affected residents.

According to the report, this exclusion leads to: Deepening Mistrust: Friction between the government and citizens over land and resources, Project Failures: Interventions that fail because they lack local context or “buy-in, Self-Organized Coping: Vulnerable residents are forced to rely on meager personal resources as the state fails to provide a safety net.

To avert a worsening humanitarian crisis, the researchers have outlined a roadmap for the Liberian government ranging from Institutional Strengthening: Increase domestic budget allocations for environmental agencies and clarify overlapping ministerial mandates, Sovereignty in Finance: International aid should focus on building long-term national capacity rather than short-term, externally designed “band-aid” fixes, Participatory Governance: Engage affected communities early.

Local knowledge is vital to ensuring that sea walls or relocation efforts are both effective and legitimate, Mainstreaming Adaptation: Climate change must be integrated into housing, public health and infrastructure planning, rather than being treated as a standalone environmental issue.

Monrovia – ActionAid Liberia has convened civil society organizations, government officials, youth groups, traditional leaders, and development partners to discuss strategies for mobilizing domestic resources to finance renewable energy and address climate change challenges in Liberia.

By J.H. Webster Clayeh, websterclayeh@frontpageafricaonline.com

The dialogue, held in Monrovia, focused on identifying ways to close Liberia’s climate financing gap amid declining donor support, while strengthening national efforts to combat climate-related impacts on the economy and environment.

Speaking at the event, John Forkpa Kannah, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Coordinator and In-Country Facilitator for climate change within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said the dialogue was timely as climate change continues to disrupt Liberia’s economy.

According to Mr. Kannah, climate change has been identified globally as a major threat to development, and Liberia—being a signatory to international climate agreements—has been working at both national and international levels to mitigate its effects.

“We have recently submitted Liberia’s third Nationally Determined Contribution, which is our latest action plan to address climate change,” Kannah said. “In that document, Liberia commits to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 64 percent. To achieve this, we must mobilize resources both domestically and externally.”

Mr. Kannah further disclosed that Liberia has developed a renewable energy strategy aimed at mobilizing domestic financing for clean energy generation. He noted that work is currently ongoing at the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant to install solar power systems to complement existing energy sources.

“For us as a country, this will help address our energy crisis while reducing our carbon footprint,” he added. “Energy is critical—it enhances security, promotes development, and positions Liberia on the path toward becoming a middle-income country.”

Also speaking at the event, Moses Kollie, Co-Chair of the NGO Coalition of Liberia, emphasized that climate change knows no boundaries and affects all people regardless of location or background.

“It is important that all stakeholders come together to find ways to mitigate the impact of climate change,” Kollie said. “Most climate financing has come from external partners. With the reduction in donor funding, we must now explore how to generate domestic revenue to meet the targets outlined in our national climate commitments.”

Meanwhile, Norwu Kolu Harris, Climate Justice Lead at ActionAid Liberia, described the dialogue as central to advancing climate justice and sustainable development in the country.

“Liberia is richly endowed with natural resources, yet weak governance in the extractive sector, limited incentives, and illicit financial flows continue to deprive the country of critical domestic revenue,” Harris said.

She revealed that ActionAid Liberia’s monitoring of the extractive sector shows that over US$160 million was lost through input tax waivers between 2018 and 2023, significantly undermining Liberia’s ability to finance public services, climate adaptation initiatives, and inclusive development.

“These losses directly affect our capacity to support our climate agenda and meet the needs of our people,” she added.

This is part two of a two part series looking at the impact of government delays in implementing the $27 million Green Climate Fund-backed Coastal Defense project. Part one found failures by the administration of President George Weah led to homes being lost and livelihoods destroyed.

By Joyclyn Wea, senior correspondent with New Narratives with photography by Allison Hunter

• Liberia’s Boakai administration revives a stalled $26 million coastal defense project to protect Monrovia’s West Point community, where more than 800 residents have already been displaced by sea erosion.
• Construction of the long-awaited sea wall is set to begin by the end of 2025, with government co-financing now secured after delays under former President George Weah.
• As many as 1,000 residents face demolition of their homes to make way for construction, but leaders say the community has yet to hear details from government.

WEST POINT, Monrovia — As heavy rains batter the coast, fear thickens in West Point. Five years ago a storm surge took the home Sarah Gary’s father built when she was a child. Now Gary lives in a house just feet from the Atlantic’s rage. Every rainy season more than a dozen homes in this low-lying informal settlement are swept away. When Gary goes to sleep she fears she’ll be wakened by crashing waves taking this home too.

But this may be the last rainy season families here live in fear. After years of broken promises under the administration of President George Weah, the long-stalled sea wall – part of the $26 million Monrovia Metropolitan Climate Resilience Project – is set to begin construction by the end of this year.

“I’ve been hearing about this project long time,” said Gary. “Every time the people say people will come to help us put rock here, since CDC time, nobody wants to do it. So we will be happy.”

The announcement represents a turning point for the project which was launched to much fanfare by then-Mayor Jefferson Koijee in 2021. In the years after, the failure of the Weah administration to put up the $US2.4 million co-financing and $4 million in large boulders it had agreed to, meant the project ground to a crawl. The government contributed just $50,000.

In part one of this series Wilson Tarpeh, Weah administration Environmental Protection Agency chief, said he had found it impossible to get the money from the Finance Ministry and admitted that his administration had failed the people of West Point.

In the years since more than 67 homes have disappeared beneath rising seas, and 403 residents have been displaced, according to township leadership. Many more have lost their livelihoods, as boats, nets, and storefronts are regularly swept away during high seas.

Christina Toe, a lifelong West Point resident and mother of two, exemplifies the economic vulnerability: “If God is not on your side when the sea gets vexed, your canoe will go, your machine will go. Your net will go. And if it goes, you don’t have anything like you are depending on, meaning you just have to sit down.”

Now the community is celebrating the news that the 18-month-old Boakai administration has met the government’s co-financing requirements and the project is back on track.

“This time next year, West Point should be protected from sea level rise for 40-plus years,” said Louise Kuukpen, deputy resident representative at the United Nations Development Programme in Liberia, which is implementing the project on behalf of the Green Climate Fund, a global pool of funds from rich countries designed to help low-income countries adapt to climate change.

Construction Challenges and Community Sacrifice

But construction of the sea wall will not come without pain for this community. Homes where approximately 1,000 people live will need to be demolished to make way for a road connectd the south end of the beach with the mainland. Community leaders say the people understand this is a sacrifice they must make for long-term security.

“We will embrace it,” said Swen. “This place where we are is government land. So if they come and give you something for you to find a place, so be it.”

But this aspect of the project is causing some concerns. The UN’s Kuukpen says the relocation of residents is not funded under the overall project.  The government must find funding and a solution separately. Community leaders say they have not been given enough information about this, and it’s making people nervous.

Project manager Zienu Kanneh said specific responses to resettlement questions await completion of a resettlement action plan and livelihood restoration plan, which are currently in progress.

“These two instruments are essential in ensuring that project-affected persons, particularly those whose livelihoods and access to resources may be disrupted, are adequately identified, engaged, and supported through tailored mitigation and compensation measures,” Kanneh said.

While waiting for the funds to come, the West Point community has done its best to slow the sea, planting 430 mangroves and 4,000 coconut seedlings along vulnerable shorelines.

While policy makers and environmentalists will breath a sigh of relief to see this heavily populated community saved from the waves, it is just one of many communities along the coast facing the same fate in coming years.

The country’s shoreline has retreated by an average of 30 meters over the past two decades, with some areas experiencing much more dramatic losses. As many as 230,000 Liberians are set to lose their homes by 2100 with current levels of sea level rise.

Experts say the project has become a test case for international climate finance mechanisms established under the Paris Agreement. The Green Climate Fund’s $17.2 million contribution was contingent on Liberia meeting its share of the total project cost—a requirement that had proved nearly impossible under the previous administration. Another Green Climate Fund project to create a weather hazard warning system had also been delayed for years by Weah government failures.

“A climate-vulnerable country like Liberia is a priority for GCF as Liberia counts among those most impacted by climate change despite contributing little in the way of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Andrew McElroy, a Green Climate Fund spokesperson.

But just being a priority country isn’t enough if the government won’t meet requirements to unlock funding. Experts say the funds will just move to another country that will, leaving millions of Liberians to fight climate change impacts on their own.

For a project originally set to run from 2021 to 2027, the road ahead may now stretch to 2028 or 2029, as Liberia seeks a no-cost extension to finish the work. But for a government eager to restore public trust, and for families like Sarah Gray’s who can’t afford another rainy season without protection, the countdown has begun.

The Boakai administration has distinguished itself from its predecessor with transparency about the project’s challenges and timelines. Unlike the previous government, which often portrayed the project as proceeding on schedule, current officials have acknowledged delays while providing specific timelines and funding figures.

It was not just funding that was missing according to the new administration. Scientific and environmental studies were also not done.

“We inherited a situation where these critical studies hadn’t even been commissioned,” Yarkpawolo said. “We’ve fast-tracked procurement for the engineering studies, but proper engineering takes time.”

For now the township braces for the worst of the rainy season to kick in. The township typically experiences its highest seas between July and September. This year has been relatively calm, but residents know that provides no guarantee for the rest of the season.

This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the “Investigating Liberia” project. The Swedish Embassy provided funding, but the founder had no say in the story’s content.

Summary

• Rural women say Liberia’s climate policies are failing to reach the communities most affected, warning that technical language, planning meetings, and funding commitments have not translated into real support on farms and in villages.

• As heat intensifies and farming becomes less reliable, many women remain dependent on firewood and charcoal, while cleaner energy alternatives—efficient cookstoves and palm-kernel briquette – projects struggle due to high costs, broken equipment, and lack of market access.

• Rural women and civil society leaders say climate justice must prioritize inclusion, practical training, and accountability to close the gap between policy promises and lived reality.

By Aria Deemie, climate and environment reporter with New Narratives

When Ma Kebbeh Monger stood up to speak, she was direct and honest. The women she represented in the Rural Women Structure of Liberia had a simple message for government officials, and international agencies gathered at the EJS Ministerial Complex this week for Liberia’s second National People’s Climate Justice Summit: climate solutions are failing to reach the people bearing the brunt of the crisis.

“Before the action take, it should be there. No one should be left behind,” Monger said. “All the big big people talking climate change — the people in the rural community, they the ones suffering more.”

Liberia’s climate justice debate is unfolding amid a worsening climate crisis that is already reshaping daily life for millions of people across the country. Although Liberia contributes just 0.04 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, it remains among the countries most vulnerable to climate shocks.

A FrontPage Africa/New Narratives investigation found that Monrovia experienced its hottest dry season on record in 2024, while climate models project up to 118 additional extremely hot days each year by mid-century, increasing the risk of heat-related illness and reducing productivity for workers in both urban and rural areas. Separate reporting has shown that early-warning and disaster-response systems remain underfunded or non-operational, leaving farmers and other vulnerable communities without reliable forecasting or warnings as weather patterns become unpredictable.

Meanwhile, failed crops are driving farmers to charcoal production because of a lack of alternatives, putting a strain on Liberia’s forests which could eventually lead them to collapse with far reaching consequences for food security.

The two-day summit, convened under the theme “Just Transition: Scaling Agroecology, Clean Energy, People-Driven Climate Finance and Sustainable Solutions for Liberia,” was attended by more than 800 participants, including farmers, academics, renewable energy practitioners, government officials, civil society actors, women and youth leaders, and representatives of local and international nongovernmental organizations. Monger warned the gathering that inviting them to gatherings like this was not enough. She wants to see talk translated into impact on farms and in villages where people depend directly on forests and land for survival. Rural women, with fewer income making alternatives have been hardest hit.

Representing the Boakai administration, Bill McGill Jones, deputy finance minister, told the gathering that the government understood the scale of the problem facing the country. He said the government had made the issue a priority, announcing the establishment of a Climate Integration and Financing Office within the finance ministry, aimed at mainstreaming climate considerations into national planning and budgeting.

Jones claimed Liberia has secured more than $US573 million for climate commitments to strengthen climate resilience, renewable energy and agroecology programs nationwide, with $US213 million disbursed as of December 2024 in ongoing partnerships with the World Bank, IMF, African Development Bank, United Nations agencies, the European Union and Sweden, though he did not provide details of those funds.

As US and European governments slash funding for aid and global funds to help vulnerable countries adapt to climate change, he warned the country would face significant challenges implementing its ambitious commitments on climate change without predictable and sustainable funding.

“Climate change is no longer an environmental concern,” Jones said. “It is a macro-fiscal, developmental, and social imperative.”

‘When They Said Carbon, I Thought It Was a Bomb’

Monger’s speech underscored the disconnect the rural communities feel from high level conversations about climate change at national and international meetings. She urged leaders to work harder to communicate in ways that communities can understand.

“When they talked about carbon, I thought it was la bomb they coming to send,” she said.
“I say, ‘Ah! Another war coming to Liberia?’”

Only after the concept was explained in plain terms did she understand it as referring to the smoke from burning wood and bush clearing — common practices in rural Liberia. (Carbon dioxide, emitted when “fossil fuels” like trees, oil and gas are burned, is the main gas that is being trapped in the atmosphere and leading to global warming.) Monger said rural women rely heavily on firewood and charcoal and called for government to provide eco-stoves in every rural household, paired with training delivered in local languages.

She urged the government and NGOs to move away from technical manuals and toward practical demonstrations — drawing trees, explaining soil, and showing the consequences of over-burning land.

“When you clear bush, some bush must stay,” she said. “If you burn everything, when the rain fall, your farm will spoil. Trainer to trainer. When people understand it, they will own it.”

In an earlier FrontPage Africa/New Narratives investigation, Emmanuel Yarkpawolo, executive director of the Environmental Protection Agency, said the government is working to reduce charcoal’s toll by promoting cooking methods that use less or no charcoal. But he acknowledged that the US$20 cost per stove is out of reach for many.

“It’s hard at first, but over time, you save money,” he said. “Still, EPA can only provide guidelines and training. We can’t support everyone individually.”

That gap between policy and reality is visible in Todee District, lower Montserrado County, where a group of women tried to pivot to a more sustainable model producing charcoal from palm kernel shells instead of trees. The project offered cleaner fuel and better income. But it collapsed before it could take off.

“The machine broke down before we finished training,” said Esther Sigbae, 51. “We were making dense black briquettes — cleaner and longer-burning than traditional charcoal — but now they sit unsold.”

Without repairs or access to buyers, the women returned to cutting trees.

“Nobody’s buying,” Sigbae said. “So we built an oven again and started burning wood.”

She now supports eight children — four of her own and four left behind by her late sister. With no refrigeration, tools, or transport, most of her vegetables rot before they can reach Monrovia’s markets.

Each woman had contributed just $LD100 — less than 50 cents — mainly to buy food to stay strong after farming and charcoal work. But even that small amount sparked plawor, a fuss.

“If you give your share what will your children eat at home?” Sigbae asked. “We dig with our hands. No tools. We thought this could help us stand on our own.”

Now, the women say they want more than funding. They are asking for training, market access, and equipment repairs.

“We don’t want to just burn bush anymore,” Sigbae said. “We want to learn and then teach our friends. But right now, we’re just stuck.”

Closing the session, Elizabeth Gbah Johnson, Country Director of ActionAid Liberia, said climate justice cannot be separated from questions of power and accountability.

“Climate justice is also a social justice issue,” Johnson said. “It is about power, participation, and public accountability.”

She urged policymakers to pair data with lived experience, from farmers restoring soil through agroecology to youth cooperatives powering cassava mills with solar energy.

This story was a collaboration with New Narratives. Funding was provided by the American Jewish World Service. The donor had no say in the story’s content.

This national event will gather about 700 to 1,000 participants, including climate justice activists, academics, human rights defenders, farmers, renewable energy practitioners, environmentalists, state officials, civil society actors, local and international NGOs, and community representatives, women, men, and youth from across Liberia and the West African region.

The two-day summit, scheduled for December 15–16, 2025, will take place at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily.

This year’s theme, “Just Transition: Scaling Agroecology, Clean Energy, People-Driven Climate Finance and Sustainable Solutions for Liberia,” underscores the urgent need for inclusive, sustainable approaches to climate resilience and justice.

Each year, the annual National People’s Climate Justice Summit gathers over 500 participants from communities across Liberia and it serves as a critical platform to amplify public voices on climate change and justice, assess Liberia’s progress and gaps in climate action, drive policy alignment and advocacy for transformative solutions.

It also seeks to also provide an opportunity for stakeholders to hold honest discussions and dialogues that are tailored on assessing progress made from last year’s summit, review outcomes and assess how engagement with the key government Ministries and Agencies towards increasing agroecology and climate financing and climate conscious activities.  

For the two days, participants will engage in high-level dialogues and collaborative sessions focused on four priority areas: developing sustainable climate-finance frameworks, scaling agroecological practices and strengthening Liberia’s CAADP implementation, expanding access to renewable energy, green jobs, and land rights for youth and women, enhancing disaster preparedness and climate-induced crisis response systems, among others.

Although Liberia contributes only 0.03% to global greenhouse gas emissions, placing it among the world’s lowest emitters, the country faces severe climate impacts, threatening livelihoods, food security, coastal communities, and national development.

The summit calls for concrete actions and policy reforms to close existing gaps and strengthen climate resilience nationwide.

The keynote address will be delivered by Hon. Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, Minister of Finance and Development Planning. Heads and representatives from key Ministries and Agencies including Ministry of Mines and Energy, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Gender and Children Protection, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, National Disaster Management Agency, Liberia Revenue Authority, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Environmental protection Agency, and the National Climate Secretariat of Liberia, among others will participate actively.

Delegates from across West Africa implementing SPA II and SPAC-WA programs will also join the summit, reinforcing regional collaboration on climate justice.

The summit is supported by the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) II which Promoting just, feminist, green, and resilient societies through gender-responsive public services, improved livelihoods, and emergency protection; and the Strategic Partnership for Agroecology and Climate Justice in West Africa (SPAC-WA) which is advancing food and nutrition security, climate-resilient livelihoods, and increased public financing for agroecology among smallholder women farmers and youth.

Through these initiatives, ActionAid Liberia continues to empower women, youth, and smallholder farmers in Bong, Gbarpolu, and Montserrado counties.

According to Norwu Harris, Program Lead for ActionAid Liberia’s Climate Justice Program: “This summit provides a critical space for unified action and policy advocacy. Climate change knows no borders, and Liberia must lead with practical solutions that prioritize justice and sustainability.”

This year’s summit brings together a broad coalition of stakeholders, including: State Actors, National Civil Society Council of Liberia, Women NGO Secretariat, NGO Coalition, CAADP Non State Actors Platform, MAP Land Platform, Federation of Liberian Youth, Rural Women Farmers Forum, ECOWAS & Mano River Youth Institutions, ACTIVISTA, Liberian National Student Union, Mano- River Youth Parliament, Renewable Energy Networks and Practitioners, Forest Management Collations, Women and Youth Social Enterprises, Young Farmers Associations, National Alliance for Climate and Environmental Leadership, Sustainable Development Institute, Agroecology and Climate Justice Coalitions, Networks and Alliances, and Liberian Youth Biodiversity Network, among others.  

KAKATA, Margibi County – The Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia (EPA), with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has concluded a three-day business development training aimed at strengthening climate-resilient livelihoods among coastal entrepreneurs, with a special focus on empowering women and youth.

The training, held in Kakata under the EPA’s Enhancing Resilience of Vulnerable Coastal Communities to Climate Change in Liberia (ERVCCS) project, brought together small business owners, emerging entrepreneurs, youth leaders, and community representatives from Kakata and surrounding communities.

The ERVCCS forms part of a broader initiative, Enhancing the Resilience of Vulnerable Coastal Communities, managed by UNDP’s Energy and Environment Programme and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The project targets several coastal communities across Liberia that continue to face increasing climate risks.

Participants engaged in practical sessions covering business planning, financial literacy, market linkages, and climate-smart livelihood techniques tailored to coastal economies.

Dr. Freddie Kobba, an international consultant for the Sinoe Coastal Project under UNDP, described the training as timely and essential. He cited ongoing challenges hampering coastal livelihoods—including limited access to finance, weak business management skills, and inadequate market connectivity—conditions that have been worsened by sea-level rise, erosion, and frequent storm surges.

Over the course of the workshop, participants received hands-on guidance in key areas such as developing simple and locally adaptable business plans, improving financial literacy, savings culture, and access to microfinance and grants, marketing, record-keeping, and basic accounting for small enterprises and integrating climate-smart approaches and diversifying income sources.

The sessions featured Liberia-specific case studies and group exercises designed to help entrepreneurs apply these concepts to fisheries, small-scale trading, food processing, eco-tourism, and other coastal-based livelihood activities.

By the end of the training, participants revised their business plans and outlined practical steps to improve access to financing and strengthen market partnerships.

Dr. Kobba emphasized the crucial role of women and youth in building community resilience, noting that empowering women entrepreneurs and engaging young people in sustainable ventures boosts local economies and reduces social vulnerability.

Princess Doyah, Project Manager of the EPA’s ERVCCS initiative, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to expanding capacity-building and community outreach in coastal areas. She explained that the training forms part of a broader effort to strengthen technical support, improve market connections, and facilitate access to finance for coastal families.

“As we scale these trainings, our goal is to combine skills development with financial opportunities so families can earn dependable incomes while protecting the environment that sustains them,” she said.

The Sinoe Coastal Project Manager also underscored the link between climate threats and limited economic opportunities in coastal communities, stressing that building business skills and promoting climate-smart livelihoods are vital to reducing vulnerability and fostering sustainable local economies.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Miss Fatu S. Cooper, a businesswoman from the Mardina Community in Kakata, praised the EPA for offering the training free of charge. She described it as “a golden opportunity,” noting that similar courses are often expensive in universities and vocational institutions.

Cooper pledged that participants will make meaningful use of the skills gained from the workshop.

MONROVIA — Liberia has pledged renewed commitment to integrating children and young people into the heart of its climate action efforts, following the signing of the Declaration on Children, Youth, and Climate Action on November 11, 2025, in Belém, Brazil. 

By Selma Lomax selma.lomax@frontpageafricaonline.com 

The event took place during the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), bringing together global leaders to strengthen cooperation on youth-led climate initiatives.

Representing the Government of Liberia, Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), signed the declaration on behalf of the country. In his remarks, Dr. Yarkpawolo described the declaration as a historic step toward recognizing the rights and voices of young people in the fight against climate change. He said the initiative underscores the moral and generational responsibility shared by governments to safeguard the planet for children and future generations.

“The climate crisis is not only a scientific or environmental challenge — it is a moral one,” Dr. Yarkpawolo said. “It is about the future of ourselves, our children, and generations yet unborn. This declaration recognizes the vital role of children and young people as agents of change. It reminds us that climate action must protect the most vulnerable while empowering them to shape solutions.”

Dr. Yarkpawolo emphasized that Liberia’s endorsement of the declaration aligns with its ongoing national efforts to integrate youth leadership and innovation into the country’s climate response framework. He said the government remains committed to ensuring that young people are not only beneficiaries of climate programs but also active decision-makers.

Liberia’s participation in the declaration, he noted, directly supports the country’s new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), launched earlier at COP30. The NDC 3.0 outlines Liberia’s strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening resilience, and accelerating sustainable development, with a central focus on inclusion, education, and youth engagement.

“Our NDC 3.0 places young people at the center of climate innovation,” he explained. “It calls for scaling up green jobs, expanding environmental education, and promoting youth-driven adaptation and mitigation across every sector, including our schools. In Liberia, we believe no climate solution is complete without the active participation of young people.”

Dr. Yarkpawolo also highlighted ongoing initiatives in Liberia aimed at putting these commitments into action. These include youth-led environmental clubs, climate leadership training programs, and stronger participation of young professionals in national and local environmental governance. 

The EPA has also worked closely with the Ministry of Education and other partners to expand environmental education and awareness programs in schools across the country.

According to Dr. Yarkpawolo, the signing of the declaration is a clear signal that Liberia is serious about placing children’s and youth rights at the center of its climate policy. 

“As we sign this declaration, we are saying that our children’s dreams and rights are not afterthoughts—they are the foundation of our climate policy,” he said. “We are choosing to invest in their capacity, protect their environment, and amplify their voices from the classroom to the Cabinet room.”

The Declaration on Children, Youth, and Climate Action, backed by governments, civil society, and international agencies, seeks to strengthen cooperation in promoting climate education, youth empowerment, and protection of children from climate-related risks. It calls on signatory nations to ensure that young people are meaningfully involved in the design, implementation, and monitoring of national climate policies and programs.

Addressing youth leaders present at the signing, Dr. Yarkpawolo delivered a message of hope and inclusion. “To the youth of Liberia and the world—you are not too young to lead, and we are not too old to listen,” he said. “Let this declaration be our shared promise that science, communication, and faith in a better future will guide us toward a safer, more sustainable planet.”

He reaffirmed that Liberia’s involvement in the declaration is part of a broader vision to promote environmental justice, intergenerational equity, and sustainable development. Liberia, he said, remains committed to working with global partners to implement policies that protect both the environment and the rights of future generations.

“On behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia and the Government of Liberia, I am honored to sign this declaration,” Dr. Yarkpawolo concluded. “Together, we are not only protecting our climate but also ensuring that our children inherit a planet where they can thrive.”

Summary:

• As the 30th global climate summit opens in Brazil, Liberia faces rising heat, erratic rainfall, and floods displacing thousands, exposing gaps in early-warning systems and adaptation measures, say experts.
• Liberia’s delegation is promoting its development agenda and climate goals, pledging 64 percent emissions cut by 2035 and middle-income status by 2030.
• Liberia’s Youth delegates calling for a Youth Climate Council and greater representation.

By Aria Deemie, Climate Change Reporter with New Narratives

The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference kicked off this week, in Belém, Brazil, marking what experts say could be one of the most decisive moments for global climate action. World leaders, activists, and negotiators are gathering to chart a path toward limiting global warming. But ten years after the groundbreaking Paris Agreement designed to keep temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, expectations are tempered by the absence of the United States, the world’s second biggest polluter.

In his second term as US president, Donald Trump has withdrawn the country from the Paris Agreement and made major cuts to efforts to constrain the emission of gases causing global warming to put in place by former president Joe Biden. This comes as China has taken a lead in supplying in clean energy products to developing countries leaving the US and Europe behind.

For Liberia, one of the world’s smallest emitters but one of the most climate-vulnerable nations, experts say the stakes could not be higher. Rising seas are swallowing coastal communities, unpredictable rains and high temperatures are cutting farm yields, and frequent floods continue to displace thousands across Monrovia and rural counties.

“Climate change has become a serious development issue globally,” said Dehpue Y. Zuo, deputy minister for economic management and a member of Liberia’s COP30 delegation, in a video released by the Environmental Protection Agency explaining Liberia’s COP30 plans. “We need to access all the resources it takes to foster development, from adaptation financing to mitigation programs that enhance productivity.”

In the video head of Liberia’s delegation Dr. Emmanuel Yarkpawolo, executive director of the Environmental Protection Agency, outlined the government’s blueprint for transforming Liberia into a middle-income country by 2030 while securing climate finance to support that work.

He said Liberia will use the conference to unveil its Third Nationally Determined Contribution, committing the country to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 64 percent by 2035. Ten percent of the target will be achieved using Liberia’s own resources, while the remaining 54 percent will depend on international support. The plan forms part of the government’s broader Vision 2030 agenda to build a greener, more resilient economy and reach middle-income status.

On Tuesday it launched the “Natural Capital Atlas of Liberia”, a book that showcases the country’s natural resources, rich biodiversity, and cultural heritage, aiming to attract investment and demonstrate that environmental protection and development can go hand in hand.

Liberia’s message to the world is that it is playing its part in preserving one of the planet’s most important forest regions — the Upper Guinea Forest — often called the “third lung” of the Earth after the Amazon and the Congo Basin.

Carbon trading remains key to Liberia’s plans despite opposition

Carbon trading—where forest communities can theoretically sell carbon absorbed by their forests on global trading markets—remains a central pillar of Liberia’s climate agenda. The government has developed a national carbon market policy, which was set for formal launch at COP30. The framework defines eligibility criteria, community benefit-sharing mechanisms, and aligns with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement on carbon trading, Yarkpawolo said. Liberia’s pavilion is also hosting sessions introducing the policy to bilateral and multilateral partners, as well as the private sector.

But climate experts have panned carbon trading schemes across Africa as being fraudulent plan to profit from forest communities while doing nothing to monitor and deter logging and deforestation. Speaking at COP30, Yarkpawolo reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to forest protection, expressing support for the Tropical Forests Forever Facility – a performance-based funding mechanism rewarding countries for conserving forests—and highlighting that the new policy aims to ensure benefits are shared fairly with local and indigenous communities.

Liberia joins climate-vulnerable nations demanding dramatic boost in adaptation funds

The country also joined renewed calls from least developed countries on the frontlines of climate change for more funding from rich nations for adaptation. A recent United Nations report found developing countries will need between $310-365 billion per year between now and 2035 to prepare for the impacts of climate change. Yet in 2023, developed nations provided just under $26 billion in adaptation finance.

“This is urgent,” said Zuo. “Countries like Liberia need fair access to financing to adapt and grow sustainably.”

But New Narratives/FrontPage Africa reporting has shown that on numerous occasions that even when funding was made available failures to meet donor requirements by the Weah Environmental Protection Agency meant funding didn’t arrive. Internationally funded climate adaptation projects were stalled including the $27 million West Point Coastal Defense Project, and the $10 million Climate Information System, designed to provide early warnings for extreme weather. The CIS project was held up for nearly five years by “lack of competent staff, inflated salary claims, and refusal to follow donor rules,” according to the African Development Bank, leaving farmers across the country without weather forecasts.

Boakai administration EPA director Yarkwopolo has condemned the failures of the Weah administration and pledged to work to meet donor requirements. Multiple stalled projects have resumed. But experts said the delayed projects show the limitations of the current climate funding mechanisms and the consequences for communities facing worsening climate impacts.

Liberia’s youth delegation better organized ahead of this year’s COP

Youth representatives at this year’s conference said they have taken a more organized approach this year hoping to make themselves heard by delegates. For the first time they held a preCOP youth dialogue to coordinate a unified agenda at COP30, agreeing they will advocate for the creation of a Liberia Youth Climate Council, an umbrella body to engage government and international partners on Liberia’s NDC commitments to ensure young Liberians’ voices are represented in climate negotiations and policy implementation.

“We learned that young people often attend COP without a coordinated agenda, so we wanted to change that,” said Duku Jallah, FLY president, in an interview with New Narratives/FrontPage Africa.

The dialogue was supported by ActionAid, while the federation relied on personal and external contributions to make participation at COP30 possible said Jallah. The delegation initially intended to send seven youth representatives to Belém, but funding constraints meant only two were able to attend.

During last year’s rainy season, severe flooding in Rivercess County destroyed homes and businesses. Photo: Eric Opa Doue/NewNarratives

While delegates gathered in Brazil, Liberia continues to face urgent climate challenges at home. Data from Climate Central, the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, and the World Weather Attribution project, shows that Liberia has experienced 116 days over the past year hotter than 90 percent of historical days. The median temperature has risen nearly 1°C over the last 30 years, meaning even typical days are now warmer and signaling sustained climate warming in Liberia.

Last year’s floods alone displaced over 100,000 people. Without urgent investment in early warning systems and disaster preparedness, experts say climate-driven disasters will only worsen.

As COP30 begins, many developing nations are watching to see if wealthy countries will finally deliver on climate finance promises. With negotiations intensifying, Liberia’s delegation said it hopes COP30 will turn pledges into tangible progress, not just for the planet, but for communities already living with the cost of inaction.

This story is a collaboration with New Narratives. Funding was provided by the American Jewish World Service. The donor had no say in the content of this story.