Liberia Urges Climate Finance for Communities to Protect Peace
EPA and UNDP convene ministers, African climate negotiators and partners in New York on the nexus between climate, conflict and natural resources
NEW YORK, United States, Sept. 23, 2026 – Liberia called Wednesday for climate finance to reach the communities that protect its forests, rivers, fisheries and coastlines, warning that climate pressures on natural resources can undermine peace where institutions are weak and communities are excluded from decisions.
The call came at “The Nexus Between Climate, Conflict and Natural Resources: Pathways to Peace, Resilience, and Sustainable Development,” a high-level side event convened by the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia with the U.N. Development Programme at The Westin New York Grand Central during the U.N. General Assembly. The forum, held under Liberia’s 2026-2027 term on the U.N. Security Council, brought together Liberian officials, UNDP leadership, African climate negotiators, philanthropic partners and members of the Liberian diaspora.
“Climate action cannot be separated from peace building. Natural resource management cannot be separated from justice, transparency, community participation, sustainable livelihoods,” said Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, executive director of the EPA, in his welcome remarks.
Dr. Yarkpawolo said climate change does not automatically cause conflict but acts as a threat multiplier, worsening poverty, food insecurity, displacement, inequality and competition over essential resources. He said Liberia believes climate-related risks deserve serious and balanced attention during its Security Council term, and that women, young people and local communities must help shape climate solutions and share in their benefits.
Opening remarks delivered on behalf of Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti said Liberia has made climate security and peacebuilding priorities within the multilateral system, and that Africa’s call for climate justice is a call for greater access to adaptation finance, technology and capacity. “The climate crisis is global, but its consequences are local. Our responsibility is shared, but our capacities are not equal,” the remarks said.
In his keynote address, Haoliang Xu, U.N. under-secretary-general and associate administrator of UNDP, noted that Liberia accounts for 0.03% of global emissions while its third-generation nationally determined contribution sets a 64% economywide emissions reduction target. He said UNDP supported the development of Liberia’s national adaptation plan and the country-led preparation of its NDC 3.0.
“Peace and security considerations feature in 41% of third generation NDCs, rising to 70% among NDCs submitted by countries in fragile contexts,” Xu said.
Hon. Jeanine M. Cooper, chief executive officer of the Liberia Carbon Markets Authority and presidential envoy on climate action, said the authority has begun registering carbon projects and is building the regulatory and valuation systems needed to position Liberia as a source of high-integrity, nature-based climate solutions with benefit-sharing for communities.
Oretha Juah-Bestman-Yates, assistant minister for human resources at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, gave a personal testimony on losing her childhood coastal community to erosion and urged global leaders to direct predictable, accessible climate finance to coastal protection, flood control, early warning systems and safe relocation for affected families.
The panel, moderated by Francine Pickup, UNDP deputy assistant administrator and deputy director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, also featured Ambassador Dr. Ali Daud Mohamed, Kenya’s special envoy for climate change; Nana Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, chair of the African Group of Negotiators and director for adaptation, climate resilience and risk management at Ghana’s Environmental Protection Authority; and Colorado state Rep. Naquetta Ricks, president and co-founder of the African Chamber of Commerce Colorado. Daniel Kandy, climate and environmental policy specialist at the Minderoo Foundation, spoke on financing forests and biodiversity for climate resilience and peace.
Speakers called for climate finance that reaches subnational and community institutions, stronger governance of natural resources, and partnerships that treat resilient infrastructure as an investment.
About the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia
The Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia is the country’s principal environmental regulatory institution, established by an Act Creating the Environmental Protection Agency of the Republic of Liberia in 2002. The agency protects Liberia’s environment through pollution control, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable natural resource management. It leads Liberia’s implementation of commitments under multilateral environmental agreements, including the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification.
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