Liberia
Overall NDC Equity Score
Aspiring
Emissions Reductions
Average
The NDC meets basic expectations in emissions reductions, but is still not ambitious enough.
Gender Justice
Aspiring
The NDC makes a strong effort to achieve gender mainstreaming, but lacks specific gender mainstreaming indicators in response to climate mitigation or adaptation.
Youth Inclusion
Aspiring
The NDC makes a strong effort to achieve meaningful youth inclusion, but lacks more impactful youth engagement and research.
Summary
“Liberia is a small country with unique biodiversity and the third lung of the world.” The revised NDC of Liberia commits to reducing its economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 64% below the projected business-as-usual level by 2030, most of which will require significant foreign assistance to achieve. With a poor economy coupled with increasingly more frequent climate impacts, the country’s major economic sectors (agriculture, fisheries, and forestry) are increasingly at risk of collapsing under climate change. Moreover, the variation in the country’s seasonal pattern has affected crop production, making the projected population more than vulnerable to loss and damage, social factors, and other climate change-related catastrophe.
On youth inclusion, Liberia amplified and integrated youth voices during the NDC revision process by hosting a Youth Forum that brought together over thirty-five (35) Youth and Disabilities Organizations. The Youth Dialogue produced the “Ganta Declaration ” which commits Liberia to engaging young people throughout the NDC development and implementation process. Since the signing of this Declaration, the Youth community of Liberia remained fully engaged throughout the NDC revision process through their representatives whose valuable participation and inputs contributed to the development of Liberia’s revised NDC.
On gender mainstreaming, Liberia’s NDC mentions the importance of gender equality and women empowerment. It also acknowledges the Gender Coordinators across Liberia’s 15 political subdivisions. The NDC place emphasis on championing the advancement of women’s economic empowerment and participation in the revision process of Liberia’s NDC; however, does not provide specific gender mainstreaming indicators in response to climate mitigation or adaptation.
On loss and damage, Liberia is faced with the destructive impacts of climate change that cannot be avoided either by mitigation or adaptation. Yet, loss and damage are not mentioned in the NDC. Recommendations to anchor Loss and Damage into the NDC include defining it within national context, describing the current and potential projected loss and damage, and highlighting ongoing response to address loss and damage.
Highlights
- Commitment to reducing its economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 64% by 2030.
- Clearly defines a gender, youth, and civil society inclusive consultative process for the development of the NDC.
- Acknowledges action is needed to conduct capacity building for women-owned enterprises to enable their integration into the mainstream economic activity, environmental and climate change discussions, and decision-making.
- Emphasizes championing the advancement of women’s economic empowerment in climate action.
- Outlines a national system for measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) of mitigation actions and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) for adaptation actions to implement the NDC.
Lowlights
- Loss and damage are not mentioned in the NDC.
- Fails to outline specific actions for long-term youth inclusion and implementation of youth-centered climate action measures.
- Lacks inclusion of activities to support young people in participating in the just transition.
- Does not provide specific gender mainstreaming indicators in response to climate mitigation or adaptation.
Key Recommendations
Liberian young feminists and civil society advocates have an important role to play in monitoring the state’s performance on NDCs. Increasing their role in the design of public policies that seek to combat climate change and environmental degradation is critical for ensuring growth and a sustainable future under climate impacts.
This must include actions to promote clean energy, integrate climate education into all sectors and education systems, and create green jobs. The following are key recommendations for the improvement of future NDCs and other national climate plans:
For Gender Mainstreaming
- Provide women with access to financial resources and opportunities to participate in the mitigation and adaptation processes.
- Develop policies to address loss and damage that recognize the gender-sensitive impact.
- Continue efforts to include women in NDC development processes, highlighting their specific contributions.
- Promote a gender responsive approach to climate financing.
- Provide specific gender mainstreaming indicators in response to climate mitigation or adaptation.
For Youth Inclusion
- Continue efforts to include young people in NDC development processes, highlighting their specific contributions.
- Strengthen young people’s ability to engage in climate work through integrating climate education into the entire school system.
- Involve young people in the planning, implementation, and evaluation processes of climate work to ensure it continuously aligns with their needs.
- Create mechanisms to transfer knowledge from the older generations to the young generation through capacity building and training at the local, national, regional, and international levels.
NDC Ambassador - Author
NDC Ambassador - Author
