Published: May 25, 2026
MONROVIA — A coalition of Liberian environmental and land rights organizations is demanding that the government explain why it voted against a United Nations General Assembly resolution endorsing the International Court of Justice’s landmark advisory opinion on climate change, a vote that placed Liberia in a bloc with Russia, the United States, Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Belarus and Yemen — and made it the only African nation to oppose the measure.
The resolution, adopted by 141 UN member states, seeks to strengthen international legal obligations on climate action and accountability, with particular protections for populations most exposed to climate impacts. Liberia’s opposition drew immediate condemnation from Green Advocates International, the Alliance for Rural Democracy and the Natural Resource Women Platform, who described the government’s position as a contradiction of everything Liberia has argued for in international climate forums.
“We are deeply troubled by Liberia’s position on such a historic global climate justice initiative,” said Alfred Lahai Gbabai Brownell Sr., founding president of the Global Climate Legal Defense and founder of Green Advocates International, who received the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2019. “It is unfortunate that Liberia, which currently holds a seat on the UN Security Council representing Africa, chose to isolate itself from the rest of the African continent by becoming the only African country to vote against the resolution.”
The groups argued that the vote is irreconcilable with Liberia’s repeated appeals for climate reparations, climate financing, green investments and international support for climate-related loss and damage — the very mechanisms the ICJ opinion was designed to reinforce.
The contradiction is sharpened by Liberia’s own documented climate vulnerability. A 2024 World Bank Country Climate and Development Report warned that without effective adaptation measures, climate change could shrink Liberia’s economy by up to 15% and push approximately 1.3 million people into extreme poverty by 2050. Rice production, the country’s staple food supply, is projected to decline as rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns alter growing conditions. Coastal infrastructure, food systems, public health and the broader economy all face compounding threats.
Under the Paris Agreement and its Enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions, Liberia committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 64% below business-as-usual levels by 2030, a target explicitly dependent on international climate finance, technology transfer and capacity-building support from wealthier nations.
“Liberia has also committed to protecting the Upper Guinean rainforest through community-led conservation, reducing deforestation, strengthening climate resilience, and advancing a just transition that prioritizes women and vulnerable communities,” said Windor B. Smith, head of secretariat at the Alliance for Rural Democracy.
Green Advocates staff lawyer and African Climate Platform focal person Atty. AL Varney Rogers warned that the diplomatic damage may extend beyond the symbolic.
“The vote risks undermining Liberia’s credibility in international climate negotiations, weakening Africa’s collective voice on climate justice,” Rogers said. He also disclosed that the African Climate Platform has filed a separate petition before the African Court seeking an advisory opinion on the obligations of African states in addressing the climate crisis.
On the ground, the consequences of climate inaction are already visible. GAI Acting Executive Director Francis K. Colee described conditions in Balawles, a coastal community in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, where erosion has consumed the land faster than residents can adapt.
“Children in Balawles no longer have a football field because it has been swallowed by coastal erosion, yet they still gather there to play,” Colee said. “Nearby, sellers and other residents now walk through floodwaters because the road connecting neighboring communities has been lost to the sea.”
Radiatu Sherif-Kahnplaye, policy adviser at the Natural Resource Women Platform, framed the contradiction in direct terms.
“How can a climate-vulnerable nation demand international solidarity and financial support for climate resilience while simultaneously voting against a resolution aimed at strengthening global accountability and climate justice?” she asked.
The coalition also referenced Environmental Rights Africa, a grouping of more than 55 civil society organizations hosted by Green Advocates that is pushing for a continent-wide environmental rights legal framework.
“At this defining moment in global climate and environmental governance challenges, Liberia must never stand against the very principles of justice, environmental protection, and international cooperation,” said Environmental Rights Africa Head of Secretariat Peter Quaqua. “The ICJ advisory opinion represented an opportunity for vulnerable nations, particularly African countries, to strengthen international legal frameworks on climate responsibility and justice. Liberia should have stood firmly with affected communities and vulnerable nations because its vote does not reflect the realities on the ground.”
The organizations are demanding a public explanation from the government for its vote. As of publication, no official statement had been issued by the Liberian government accounting for its position.
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