Published: June 24, 2025
COLOGNE, Germany — The Government of Liberia, through the Environmental Protection Agency, has made a formal appeal for technical and financial support under the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership (RDRP), in a bid to boost the country’s preparedness and response to climate-related challenges.
EPA Executive Director Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, who led the Liberian delegation to the inaugural RDRP conference in Cologne, underscored the urgent need for international collaboration to confront the growing threat of drought and its impact on food security, natural resources, and rural livelihoods.
“Our people are already living through the effects of drought,” Dr. Yarkpawolo said in his presentation. “It’s not just about weather. It’s about food, water, land, and the lives of ordinary Liberians.”
He urged Liberia’s inclusion in the RDRP’s Readiness Fund, which aims to help vulnerable countries complete national drought strategies, build institutional capacity, and develop investment-ready climate resilience projects.
Strategy in Place, Support Needed
Dr. Yarkpawolo pointed to steps already taken to advance climate-smart development, including Liberia’s National Agriculture Development Plan (2024–2030) and the government’s ARREST Agenda, which prioritizes Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation and Tourism as pillars for sustainable growth.
While Liberia has laid the policy foundation, he said progress is limited by a lack of access to technical and financial resources.
“We have the ambition and the roadmap. What we need now is support to move from planning to implementation,” he said.
Community-Centered Resilience
Liberia’s drought resilience efforts, Dr. Yarkpawolo noted, must center on empowering local communities. He called for the inclusion of women, youth, and smallholder farmers in program design and monitoring, and emphasized the importance of early warning systems to help farmers and local officials respond to extreme climate events.
Joining Dr. Yarkpawolo at the conference was EPA Director for Multilateral Environmental Agreements Arthur R. Becker, while Liberia’s United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) focal point, B. Jallah, participated virtually. Their presence reflected Liberia’s commitment to multilateral climate cooperation.
A Call for Partnership, Not Pity
Dr. Yarkpawolo stressed that Liberia’s appeal is rooted in partnership, not charity.
“Liberia is not asking for charity. We are asking for partnership—partnership that is responsive, inclusive, and aligned with our national priorities,” he said.
He expressed gratitude to the UNCCD and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for launching the RDRP and ensuring that vulnerable nations have a voice in global decision-making.
The Cologne conference, which brought together more than two dozen governments, international agencies, and financial institutions, is expected to outline implementation pathways for the RDRP in the months ahead.
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