Participants at a 2-day climate change /SDG training have recognized the need for building synergies and collaboration in the implementation of their sectoral activities, noting that the SDGs are interlinked and supportive of each other.

The Environmental Focal Point at the Ministry of Mines & Energy Frances B. Doe said:  “With the knowledge gained from this workshop, we are aware of the need for interagency collaboration in the implementation of sectoral activities in order to achieve critical SDGs such as SDG 1 and 2”.

Mr. Doe was among 40 participants from relevant Ministries, Agencies and Commissions including environmental focal points, representatives from local communities in 5 cities (Buchanan, Monrovia, Gbarnga, Kakata and Ganta), NGOs, women groups, etc. who participated in the 2-day exercise held in Ganta, Nimba County.

The event was organized by the he Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with support from UNDP’s National Adaptation Plans Project (NAPs) funded by the Green Climate Fund.

The UNDP /NAPs project focuses on strengthening institutional frameworks and coordination for the implementation of the NAP process, expanding the knowledge base for scaling up adaptation, building capacity for mainstreaming climate change adaptation into planning, and budgeting processes and systems.

The training was aimed at educating and raising awareness among national partners on the SDGs related to environment, natural resource management, energy and gender and the importance of Climate Change Adaptation processes for the achievement of SDGs.

It covered climate change adaptation challenges at the local and national levels and building synergies among environmental sectors for the successful implementation of their respective programmes/initiatives on climate change adaptation in Liberia.

Mr. Z. Elijah Whapoe, Manager for Planning and Policy at the EPA emphasized the need for a strong political will and commitment for the realization of the SDGs in Liberia.

He acknowledged the support of the UNDP NAPs project in mobilizing political actors and stakeholders working around climate change issues.

“The recent ratification of the Paris Agreement and the launching of the climate change policy are classic examples of how political will can influence climate actions,” Whapoe noted.

He applauded the project for its training and support to Environmental Focal Persons at the various ministries and agencies, which he said has enhanced inter-sectoral coordination and capacity building for adaptation planning.