CONGO TOWN, Monrovia -- Liberia is pressing for a people-centered "just transition" to confront climate change as ActionAid Liberia on Tuesday opened the Second National People's Climate Justice Summit, bringing together activists, policymakers and development partners from across the country and the West African region.
The two-day summit, held at the EJS Ministerial Complex, is convened under the theme "Just Transition: Scaling Agroecology, Clean Energy, People-Driven Climate Finance and Sustainable Solutions for Liberia." More than 800 participants are attending, including farmers, academics, renewable energy practitioners, government officials, civil society actors, women and youth leaders, and representatives of local and international nongovernmental organizations.
Opening the summit, ActionAid Liberia Country Director Elizabeth Gbah Johnson said the gathering goes beyond dialogue and calls for structural change in how climate policy is designed and financed.
"We come together not just to discuss climate change, but to confront inequality and demand a just transition where policies, finance and technology deliver dignity and resilience to those who bear the greatest burden of the climate crisis," Johnson said.
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She pointed to outcomes from the inaugural 2024 summit, including stronger civil society-government engagement, increased women and youth participation in Liberia's NDC 3.0 process, and commitments to review extractive sector concessions. Despite those gains, Johnson warned that communities continue to face flooding, coastal erosion, energy poverty and limited access to climate finance.
Declaring that "climate justice is social justice," she stressed that solutions must be community-led, gender-responsive and rights-based. She outlined five priorities for the summit: people-driven climate finance, scaling agroecology, renewable energy and land access, accountability under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, and disaster preparedness.
"Nothing about us without us," Johnson said. "Ambition is only meaningful when it is time-bound, budgeted and publicly tracked."
ActionAid Liberia Program Coordinator Norwu Kolu Harris described the summit as part of a growing movement rather than a one-off event, saying the 2024 gathering helped elevate community voices into national and regional policy discussions.
"Our farmers were struggling with unpredictable rains, our youth were searching for jobs in a warming world, and women were asking where their voices were in decisions shaping their land and future," Harris said. He noted that agroecology, renewable energy and people-driven climate finance have since emerged as shared solutions shaping Liberia's climate commitments.
Climate finance featured prominently in the opening session. Representing Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, Deputy Minister for Administration Bill McGill Jones framed climate change as a development and fiscal issue.
"Climate change is no longer just an environmental concern. It is a macro-fiscal and social imperative," Jones said.
He announced the establishment of the Climate Integration and Financing Office at the Ministry of Finance to mainstream climate action into national planning and budgeting. Jones said Liberia has secured approximately US$573 million for NDC 2.0 implementation, with US$213 million disbursed as of December 2024, but warned that NDC 3.0 commitments will require predictable and sustainable financing.
Jones cited ongoing partnerships with the World Bank, IMF, African Development Bank, United Nations agencies, the European Union and Sweden to strengthen climate resilience, renewable energy and agroecology programs nationwide.
Civil society and disaster management experts also sounded warnings. Speaking for the National Civil Society Council of Liberia, Loretta said climate impacts are already disrupting livelihoods and deepening inequality.
"Climate justice demands that those who contributed the least to the crisis do not bear its greatest burdens," she said, calling for policies that prioritize women, youth, persons with disabilities and indigenous knowledge.
National Disaster Management Agency Executive Director Ansu Dulleh said climate justice and disaster risk management are inseparable, citing recurrent flooding, declining agricultural productivity and rising economic losses.
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"Fragmented responses are no longer sufficient," Dulleh said, urging integrated and inclusive solutions.
Throughout the summit, participants are expected to engage in discussions on climate finance frameworks, agroecology and CAADP implementation, renewable energy and green jobs, land rights for women and youth, and disaster preparedness systems.
Although Liberia contributes just 0.03 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, speakers emphasized that the country remains among the most climate-vulnerable, with food security, coastal communities and national development at risk.
Regional delegates participating in SPA II and SPAC-WA programs are also attending, reinforcing cross-border collaboration on agroecology and climate justice.
As the summit moves toward adopting a 2025 communiqué, organizers say the focus remains on translating commitments into measurable action, ensuring Liberia's climate response is not only ambitious but just, inclusive and transformative.
