EPA & GEF to host four days workshop on Biodiversity & Environmental issues 

By Ethel A. Tweh

Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Executive Director Prof. Wilson K. Tarpeh says the EPA in collaboration with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) will commence a four-day Global Environment Facility Constituency Workshop in Liberia from 13 to 16 February 2023.

The Constituency Workshop will be followed by a two-day National Dialogue from 19 to 20 February 2023 at a local Hotel in Monrovia.

According to Prof. Tarpeh, the workshop will discuss current issues relating to climate change, biodiversity,

desertification, international waters, chemicals, and other related environmental issues affecting Liberia.

The EPA Boss disclosed that the workshop is expected to bring together GEF agencies and focal points, convention focal points, as well as other stakeholders to discuss and review policies and procedures.

They will also share lessons and experiences from the development and implantation of GEF projects and their integration within the national policy framework.

He noted that the ECW was competitive among the constituency member states in 2022 and 

March 2023, it was announced that Liberia and Ivory Coast were the two selected countries among which one should be chosen.

“Fortunately, Liberia was selected to host the ECW. Several schedules were put up, but changed due to different national circumstances including the Country’s National Elections,” said Prof. Tarpeh. 

In October 2023, the GEF requested that the meeting be relocated to another country due to the electoral process in Liberia.

The EPA Executive Director also said that the meeting would be a very good beginning for the incoming government. 

He added that the appeal was accepted and the meeting has been finally scheduled for 13 -16 February 2023.

Prof. Tarpeh said that the Global Environment Facility as the financial mechanism for the Paris Agreement, is the international organization that provides funding to support environmental projects worldwide. 

The GEF National Dialogue therefore is 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, 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 insofar as the GEF partnership is one of the sources of financing and support available to the country.

Liberia’s GEF Partners include the World Bank, African Development Bank, UNDP, FAO, and Conservation International. 

This year’s national dialogue objective is to discuss the 8.63 million dollars 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.

He stated that 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. 

He added that at the end of the dialogue, participants will identify projects for possible funding under the GEF System of Transparent Allocation of Resources GEF& which is 8.63 million.

The distribution is as follows: Climate Change 2 million, Land Degradation 2 million, and Biodiversity 4.63 million.