The Government of Liberia with support from the World Bank, the Government of Norway, and donor partners will this Thursday February 2, 2023 begun a two-day high-level international forum to highlight the significance of the country’s forestry sector and climate resilience at the turn of 2023.
The high-level forest and climate resilience forum which is designed to catalyze renewed commitments and strengthen partnerships in sustainable forest management as key strategies supporting the Government of Liberia’s Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD).’
The event is expected to bring together over 200 participants at Ministerial complex in Congor Town, including other co-conveners like USAID-Liberia, UNDP, The Swedish Embassy, The European Union, and the Government of the United Kingdom through its Embassy in Liberia.
President George Manneh Weah is expected to officially address the opening session of the forum, while Environmental Protection Agency Executive Wilson Tarpeh will deliver the keynote address.
The two day gathering will feature high-level regional and international Ministers and Directors spearheading forest management in their respective countries.
According to a release issued in Monrovia Tuesday January 31, 2023, the platform will set the stage for community leaders, global experts on forests, economic development, and climate change, private sector leaders, and development partners to share success stories about the benefits and opportunities the forest sector can offer to the overall economic development of Liberia.
Prominent figures and institutions including Norway’s Minister of Climate and the Environment, senior World Bank officials, representatives of the United Nations agencies in Liberia, the European Union, regional Ministers of Forestry and Environment of Cote d’ivoire, the Republic of Sierra Leone, and the Republic of Ghana will share their thoughts with Liberia.
The release noted that Liberia’s forest sector has the potential to contribute to the reduction of extreme poverty and support increased prosperity along a low emissions development trajectory. However, the remaining forest blocks are under increasing threat due to their continued degradation and clearance for agricultural expansion, illegal logging, and mining activities, at both industrial and subsistence scales the release stated.
It can be recalled at COP 26 in 2021, President George Manneh Weah underscored the importance of the valuable contributions of Liberia’s tropical rainforest to mitigating climate change and called on global leaders to make concerted efforts aimed at compensating the national government and underserved local communities whose livelihoods depend on the forests.
In Glasgow, President Weah implored world leaders to establish an African Carbon Credit Trading Mechanism, saying, “With your support, Liberia will be willing to host a conference in the near future to explore the details and structure of such an entity”. The release indicated that the February Forest and Climate Resilience Forum is a realization of the President’s call two years ago.
The forum, According to the organizers, will serve as the ideal platform to rally support for the President’s vision of seeking common action to save the planet.
