IPNEWS: Liberia has issued a strong call for decisive, collective global action to confront the escalating crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, telling world leaders at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) on December 11, 2025, that the moment demands courage, solidarity, and science-driven leadership.
Delivering Liberia’s national statement, Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), praised Kenya for hosting the summit and warned that environmental threats are no longer distant projections but “lived realities” for millions. He outlined Liberia’s intensified efforts to protect its rich forests, reduce environmental degradation, and build climate resilience anchored by the country’s Third Nationally Determined Contribution, described as Liberia’s most ambitious climate pledge yet. Though Liberia’s emissions remain low, Dr. Yarkpawolo said the nation’s determination is “mighty.”
He urged UNEA-7 delegates to adopt a bold, integrated agenda capable of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, reversing biodiversity loss, protecting wetlands and coastlines, preserving glaciers, and tackling all forms of pollution. He also called for streamlined access to climate and nature financing, urging donor countries and multilateral banks to simplify application processes, align financing with resilience priorities, and scale up support particularly for adaptation. Partnerships with the private sector, he noted, must include strong safeguards and fair benefit-sharing for local communities.
Liberia placed its intact tropical forests at the center of its global message. Dr. Yarkpawolo emphasized measurable, community-centered outcomes in the next phase of implementation, including expanding protected and community-managed landscapes, enhancing forest monitoring and enforcement, and channeling more climate finance directly to local stewards. Along Liberia’s vulnerable coastline, the EPA chief highlighted ongoing mangrove restoration and nature-based defense projects as communities face worsening erosion and sea-level rise.
On technology, Dr. Yarkpawolo voiced strong support for the responsible use of artificial intelligence to boost environmental monitoring, strengthen early-warning systems, enhance conservation efforts, and empower communities. However, he cautioned that AI must be guided by ethics, transparency, sustainability, and human-centered values. Liberia signaled its backing for UNEA-7 frameworks that promote the positive use of AI while addressing concerns around privacy, bias, governance, and equitable access.
Inclusion remained a cornerstone of Liberia’s message. Dr. Yarkpawolo urged the Assembly to enshrine the active leadership of women and girls, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, youth, children, and local communities in decision-making processes, describing them as “essential to the solutions we seek.” He advocated for participatory monitoring, open environmental data, and stronger accountability systems to strengthen trust and accelerate implementation.
Delegates in Nairobi are deliberating on resolutions covering chemicals and waste, climate-health links, nature-positive economies, and global AI governance. Liberia’s intervention aligned with a growing international consensus that only integrated, justice-centered approaches can deliver the progress needed by 2030.
“The time for bold leadership is now,” Dr. Yarkpawolo concluded, reaffirming Liberia’s commitment to multilateral cooperation and its resolve to work “hand-in-hand with all nations” for a safer, fairer, and more resilient world.
