By Domingo Dargbeh
Authorities at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have validated the first national report on the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing.
The move is being described as a major step toward protecting biodiversity and ensuring communities benefit from its use.
The validation exercise was held on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, in Paynesville, outside Monrovia. It brought together government officials, environmental experts, community leaders, consultants and development partners.
EPA Executive Director, Emmanuel King Urey Yarkpawolo, said the process marks a turning point in how Liberia manages its natural resources.
Yarkpawolo said, the report goes beyond documentation, and reflects a national effort to ensure fairness in the use of the rich biological and genetic resources.
The forests, wetlands, rivers, mangroves, and coastal ecosystems, he said, continue to support livelihoods, food security, and traditional medicine while also holding scientific and economic values. Dr. Yarkpawolo said, for many years, countries like Liberia and local communities have not received fair recognition or benefits when their resources and traditional knowledge were used. He said the Nagoya Protocol provides the legal framework to correct the imbalance by ensuring fair and equitable sharing of benefits.
“Access and Benefit Sharing are not only environmental issue, but also touch on social, economic, cultural, and governance matters,
The process also strengthens national sovereignty, while promoting responsible research and investment. Dr. Yarkpawolo said, the First National Report highlights progress made, including policy development, institutional coordination, stakeholder awareness, and initial steps toward establishing systems for prior informed consent and mutually agreed terms.
He acknowledged that challenges remain, including the need to finalize legal frameworks, strengthen community awareness, and build effective monitoring and compliance systems.
Yarkpawolo called on all stakeholders, including government institutions, academia, the private sector, and community leaders, to work together to ensure the success of Access and Benefit Sharing in Liberia.
The Nagoya Protocol is an international agreement under the Convention on Biological Diversity, adopted in 2010 in Nagoya, Japan, and entered into force in 2014, with the objective to ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits, regulate access to genetic resources, promote transparency, and support conservation and sustainable use.