Liberia Fights to Tackle Climate Change Risk Factors
President George Manneh Weah (center), flanked by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) and UN Secretary General António Guterres, at the COP26 Conference.
As the world unites to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at COP26 UN Climate Change Conference
The Embassy of Liberia in London, the UK is happy to release this press statement highlighting the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference that took place from 31 October - 13 November 2021, in Glasgow, the UK.
The UK being its host country, the Embassy found it compelling to join the UK and the UN to promote the gathering of signatories of the Paris Agreement at COP26 to reassess efforts of states to fight climate change risk factors. Liberia was represented at the conference by HE President George Manneh Weah, who was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Dee-Maxwell Kemayah, Sr, and other Liberian government officials.
COP26 was the 26th Conference of the Parties hosted by the UN to bring together member states to take action on climate change. In 2015 Liberia joined other nations in Paris, France to sign the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change. The major goal of the Paris Agreement is to foster cooperation to reduce global warming to below 2 degrees, aiming for 1.5 degrees levels.
COP26 brought together over 120 UN member states and tens of thousands of participants to discuss climate change actions. The conference ended with agreements on the core principles of the Paris Agreement to accelerate actions on reducing global warming and moving away from fossil fuels as a measure to phase down on coal power.
In his speech at COP26, HE President George Manneh Weah stated Liberia's commitment to its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), a set of goals on how much Liberia is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Over the past several years with assistance from Norway, the UK, the UN, and other development partners, Liberia has worked to reduce its economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 65% below the projected levels by 2030. Norway's assistance to Liberia jolted forest governance to support a reduction in global warming from the deforestation and forest degradation. It gave millions of dollars for green growth through a deforestation-free zone.
Additionally, Liberia has implemented strong policy actions to build climate governance measures within these specific prongs: the ratification of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement; promoting collective management of transboundary water systems; the construction of protective seawalls and revetments along the coastline, with huge drainages and docking stations to promote the fishing industry.