At the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7), Liberia called for decisive multilateral action to confront the intertwined crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
The event was held on December 11, 2025, framing the moment as a ‘test of global solidarity and leadership.’
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Executive Director, Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, hailed Kenya’s stewardship of the
summit, and warned that planetary threats are already “lived realities.” Yarkpawolo outlined Liberia’s domestic push to safeguard forests, strengthen climate resilience, and curb environmental degradation, highlighting the country’s Third Nationally Determined Contribution as its most ambitious climate pledge to date.
Though Liberia’s emissions are small, he said, its determination is “mighty.”
Dr. Yarkpawolo meanwhile, called on UNEA-7 to chart a bold course that keeps warming within 1.5°C, reverses biodiversity loss, protects wetlands and coastlines, preserves glaciers, and tackles pollution in all forms.
He urged member states to pair ambition with implementation finance, pressing donors and multilateral banks to simplify access to climate and nature funds, align lending with resilience goals, and scale support for adaptation. According to a release, partnerships with the private sector, Yarkpawolo said, should include strong safeguards and local benefit-sharing.
Liberia placed intact tropical forests and frontline communities at the heart of global progress.
The next phase of implementation focuses on measurable outcomes: expanding protected and community-managed areas, upgrading forest monitoring and enforcement, and channeling climate finance directly to local stewards.
Along the coast, where communities face sea-level rise and erosion, Liberia is prioritizing mangrove restoration and nature-based defenses alongside resilient infrastructure.
On technology, the EPA chief backed responsible, ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate environmental monitoring, early-warning systems, conservation, and
community empowerment, guarded by human values, equity, and sustainability.
Liberia, the release said, signaled support for UNEA-7 frameworks that promote beneficial AI, while addressing privacy, bias, and access disparities.
The event was hosted on the central theme: “Inclusion,” which Dr. Yarkpawolo used and urged the Assembly to embed the leadership of women and girls, persons with disabilities, local communities, indigenous peoples, youth, and children in decision-making.
He called for participatory monitoring, open environmental data, and accountability mechanisms to build trust and speed delivery.
Delegates in Nairobi have considered resolutions spanning chemicals and waste, climate-health links, nature-positive economies, and AI governance.
Liberia’s message echoed a growing consensus: integrated, justice-centered action is the only credible path to meeting 2030 goals.
“The time for bold leadership is now,” Dr. Yarkpawolo said, reaffirming Liberia’s commitment to multilateralism, and to work “hand-in-hand with all nations for a safer, fairer, and more resilient future.”