On 27th February 2019, Conservation International in partnership with Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially launched the Implementation Phase of the Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded project titled: ‘Liberia’s Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency’ (CBIT-Liberia).
The project seeks to build and strengthen the country’s capacity to implement the transparency elements of the Paris Agreement on climate. It will be co-executed by Conservation International-Liberia and the EPA. Notably, it is among the first set of approved GEF projects currently implemented in West Africa region as part of the CBIT after COP22 in Marrakech; the GEF Secretariat approved it on October 26, 2018.
The launch and inception workshop was officiated by the CEO & Executive Director of EPA, Hon. Nathaniel Blama at Corina Hotel in Monrovia in the presence of forty (40) participants from diverse multi-sectoral stakeholders including government, civil society, private sector and media.
In his remarks during the workshop, Hon. Blama noted that the implementation of the project starts at a crucial moment when Liberia needs support to strengthen its national institutional capacity and reporting mechanisms as a means of moving towards a low carbon and resilient economy. and enhancing the country’s access to various international funding mechanisms including green finance.
“The proposed actions are in line with national strategies and plans, specifically the Liberia’s Climate Change and Response Strategy and Liberia’s Nationally Determined Contributions,” he said.
The government of Liberia has established five (5) CBIT hubs within key institutions including the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) and Ministry of Transport (MoT).
The Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) was established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Conference of Parties (COP) 21 to support developing countries with tools and training to enhance transparency requirements as defined in Article 13 of the Paris Agreement in a timely manner and in line with national priorities.
The specific project objectives are:
- To strengthen the capacity of national institutions to track Liberia’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) implementation and sustain transparency efforts over time
- To provide technical support and tools to harmonize land use, agriculture, energy, transport and waste sectors data collection and reporting through training and assistance.
- To create an Integrated Platform for Data Sharing and Policy Making.
For more information, please email Peter Mulbah pmulbah@conservation.org
GEF Project link: https://www.thegef.org/project/building-and-strengthening-liberia-s-national-capacity-implement-transparency-elements-paris