Liberia to Host GEF Events
EPA’s Executive Director Wilson Tarpeh,
Liberia has been selected to host the events of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) that seek to bring into focus a series of activities relative to the environment, climate change, and many other topical issues.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced at a press conference on Thursday that Liberia, in collaboration with the GEF, will on Tuesday, February 13-16, 2023, commence a four-day Global Environment Facility Constituency Workshop (ECW).
“The Constituency Workshop will be followed by a two-day National Dialogue from February 19-20, at Cape Hotel in Monrovia,” EPA’s Executive Director, Prof. Wilson K. Tarpeh said at the press conference.
He said that the workshop will discuss current issues relating to climate change, biodiversity, desertification, international waters, chemicals, and other related environmental issues affecting Liberia.
It is expected to bring together GEF agencies and focal points, convention focal points, CSOs, and other key stakeholders to discuss and review policies and procedures and share lessons and experiences from the development and implantation of GEF projects and their integration within the national policy framework.
The GEF, as the financial mechanism for the Paris Agreement, is the international organization that provides funding to support environmental projects worldwide.
The right to host the ECW was competitive among the constituency member states in 2022 and by March 2023, it was announced that Liberia and Ivory Coast were the two selected countries amongst which one should be chosen.
Fortunately, Liberia was selected to host the ECW.
Several schedules were put up but changed because of different national circumstances, including the Country’s National Elections.
“In October 2023, the GEF requested that the meeting be relocated to another country due to the electoral process in Liberia,” Tarpeh said. “However, Liberia appealed because the meeting would be a very good beginning for the incoming government.”
“The appeal was accepted, and the meeting has been finally scheduled for the 13th -16 February 2023. All necessary arrangements surrounding this meeting, including hotel accommodation, feeding, foreign travel, etc. have been fully completed by the GEF in collaboration with the EPA,” he added.
National GEF Dialogue
The EPA and GEF will also host the National Dialogue, a platform for stakeholders in a country to come together and discuss environmental issues, including national objectives, policies, strategies, and the means to achieve them.
The dialogue will bring together 70 participants from 38 institutions from Government Line Ministries, Agencies and Commissions, Non-Governmental Institutions, Civil society Organizations, community members, Academic and Research institutions, the Private Sector, as well as partners and donors.
The GEF activities are normally a component of National Dialogues where the GEF Partnership is one of the sources of financing and support available to the country.
Liberia GEF Partners include the World Bank, African Development Bank, UNDP, FAO, and Conservation International. This year’s national dialogue objective is to discuss the US$8.63 million allocation.
“The Dialogue agenda is designed to raise awareness of national stakeholders about the GEF to build capacity for effective implementation of Liberia’s GEF portfolio, as well as strengthen the GEF national coordination mechanism through the exchange of ideas and best practices,” Tarpeh noted. “It will also identify and elaborate national priorities under the GEF thematic areas for the remaining period and discuss preliminary areas of interest for GEF.”
The Dialogue is expected to attract and bring together over 70 participants from sectorial line ministries, agencies, academic institutions, international and national non-governmental environmental organizations, representatives of civil society groups, and superintendents from the 15 political subdivisions.
At the end of the Dialogue, participants will identify projects for possible funding under the GEF System of Transparent Allocation of Resources (Star) GEF8 which is US$8.63 million.
The distribution is as follows: Climate Change US$2 million, Land Degradation US$2 million, and Biodiversity US$4.63 million.