A senior United Nations official has called on policymakers to place women, children, and youth at the core of all national climate change policies, moving beyond discussion to decisive action. The call was made at a two-day inception workshop convened to establish a Technical Working Group on Gender, Youth, and Children on Climate Change and Environment.
The workshop brings together stakeholders to fast-track the implementation of gender-inclusive actions outlined in Liberia's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0)--the country's renewed commitment under the Paris Agreement.
E. Abraham T. Tumbey, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Program Coordinator, emphasized that climate change is a social injustice that disproportionately impacts vulnerable groups.
"Climate change is not just gender neutral; it does not affect all communities equally, similarly, it does not affect populations equally," Tumbey stated. He highlighted the severe risks faced by marginalized groups:
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Women and Girls are often the primary focus of the climate challenge. The UN estimates that 80% of people displaced by climate change are women. Climate crises exacerbate gender-based violence, leading to tragic outcomes like girls being traded into child marriages in return for food. Children, too, are the most vulnerable, facing risks to their health, education, and safety. Youth, as future leaders, are "often left navigating for work they did not create but must now repair," said Tumbey.
Tumbey described the formation of the working group as "timely and transformative," aligning with Liberia's NDC 3.0.
"We believe that this group brings together the coalition of hope, a coalition of a better and resilient future," he said.
He issued a strong plea for the group to prioritize results: "Let this working group not be another forum for discussion alone. Let it be a space for action. Let it be a platform where ideas become policy and policy becomes programs that change lives."
Liberia's updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0 establishes concrete, measurable targets to ensure gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) are central to its climate action, moving beyond mere acknowledgment to embedding action. By 2035, the document pledges to ensure that all adaptation priorities--from climate-resilient agriculture to disaster risk management--are grounded in gender-responsive strategies that explicitly address the needs of women, marginalized, and vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities (PWDs).
To guarantee genuine impact, the NDC 3.0 commits to making at least 20% of disbursed grant-based climate finance accessible to women's cooperatives, smallholder farmers, and entrepreneurs by 2035, supported by the establishment of a dedicated climate finance window and capacity building for gender focal points.
Furthermore, the implementation of all NDC projects will be guided by the "Three-Lens Approach," viewing women as beneficiaries, partners, and leaders in climate action, and will use a jointly developed GESI Toolkit to ensure all sectoral actions achieve equitable outcomes.
In addition to women's empowerment, the NDC 3.0 sets specific, ambitious targets for youth, children, and PWDs, acknowledging that their historical minimal involvement in decision-making has deepened their vulnerabilities. To ensure their full participation and leadership, the document aims to direct at least 40% of agricultural financing toward initiatives led by youth, particularly in rural and climate-vulnerable communities, by 2035.
To elevate their voice in policy, a youth representative will be appointed to the National Climate Change Steering Committee (NCCSC) by 2027. The NDC 3.0 also includes a target to create at least 5,000 new green jobs across sectors like waste management and renewable energy, coupled with conducting a minimum of 10 annual training and capacity building initiatives starting in 2026.
These programs will strengthen the technical skills and leadership of women, youth, and other vulnerable groups in critical areas such as climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy system installation, and clean mobility.
Beyond gender, youth, and marginalized groups, the climate action plan also sets ambitious goals across key sectors: reduce emissions from energy by increasing the share of on-grid renewable energy to 75% and installing 150 MW of new renewable energy plants. Forestry (LULUCF): Reduce the national deforestation rate by 10% and establish at least four new protected areas covering 200,000 hectares. Waste: Recover at least 70% of landfill gas from major sites and develop 50 small-scale composting stations.
Agriculture: Promoting low-emissions rice cultivation and reducing the use of chemical fertilizers by 60% through the introduction of organic alternatives. Introduce at least 2,000 electric small 3-wheelers (kekehs) and transition 20% of the National Transit Authority bus fleet to cleaner power sources by 2035.
Despite these commitments, Liberia faces significant threats, including sea-level rise, coastal erosion, and extreme weather events like flooding, which intensify existing vulnerabilities. A key challenge noted by the World Bank is the country's low readiness to adapt due to limited institutional capacity and funding shortages for the National Adaptation Plan.
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Representatives from development partners and civil society organizations pledged their commitment to the initiative:
Ezekiel Nyanfor of ActionAid Liberia committed financial and technical support, emphasizing that women and youth involvement in climate governance is "very key" to the organization. He pledged to work with partners until the gender-specific NDC targets are fully implemented.
Dr. John Solunteh Smith from UN Women Liberia welcomed the working group as a vital platform to "follow up and take stock... how young people are being part of the process."
Cllr. Yah Parwon, Director for Medica Liberia, stressed the need for an intersectional approach to addressing the climate crisis, ensuring the focus moves beyond Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) to the broader rights and needs of women, girls, and marginalized groups.
UNDP Program Coordinator Tumbey concluded by urging all partners to invest in the working group, stating, "Because when we empower women, youth, and children to lead climate solutions, we do not just build resilience; we build a better Liberia."
