Liberia Commits to Global Climate Mobility Agenda, Prioritizes Community-Led Climate Action

By Emmett S. Yarsiah

Berlin, Germany – Liberia has reaffirmed its commitment to addressing the growing challenges posed by climate change by officially endorsing the Climate Mobility Principles at the Second Berlin Climate Mobility Forum in Germany.

The endorsement marks a significant step in Liberia’s efforts to strengthen resilience against climate-related displacement and ensure that communities are at the center of adaptation and response strategies.

Speaking during the High-Level Ministerial Session on “From Principles to Action—Forging the Climate Mobility Adaptation Agenda,” the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia, Dr. Emmanuel King Urey Yarkpawolo, emphasized the need for collective action and practical solutions to address climate-driven human movement.

According to Dr. Yarkpawolo, Liberia’s endorsement of the Climate Mobility Principles goes beyond a symbolic gesture and reflects the country’s determination to implement measures that protect vulnerable communities and build long-term resilience.

“At a time when global cooperation is so often tested, this gathering is a rare chance to face our shared challenges together,” Dr. Yarkpawolo told delegates.

The Berlin Climate Mobility Forum, held from June 18–19, 2026, brought together heads of state, ministers, and senior officials from nearly 80 countries. The event was co-hosted by the Global Centre for Climate Mobility and the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

The forum focused on developing common approaches to climate mobility, supporting people to remain safely in their communities whenever possible, and ensuring that relocation, when necessary, is carried out in a planned and dignified manner. It also served as a platform for countries to build partnerships and advance practical actions on climate mobility.

As part of Liberia’s commitment, Dr. Yarkpawolo announced that the country, in collaboration with the Global Centre for Climate Mobility, is launching a Climate Mobility Deep Dive, a nationwide initiative designed to anticipate, address, and responsibly manage climate-related movement while reducing future loss and damage.

To ensure that local voices guide the process, representatives of the Global Centre will travel across Liberia in early July to conduct consultations with communities. The consultations aim to place the experiences and priorities of affected populations at the center of climate adaptation planning.

Liberia highlighted that climate mobility is increasingly driven by rising sea levels, stronger and more frequent extreme weather events, environmental degradation, and other climate-related pressures that threaten homes, livelihoods, and communities.

The country called for a Climate Mobility Adaptation Agenda rooted in local realities, data, and knowledge. Officials stressed that effective adaptation begins with understanding conditions on the ground and strengthening local data systems and climate information services to help reduce risks before displacement becomes unavoidable.

Liberia also emphasized the importance of ensuring that climate finance reaches communities directly through funding mechanisms that are accessible, predictable, and responsive to local needs. While welcoming the Global Centre’s proposal to allocate one percent of climate finance directly to communities, Liberia argued that the amount remains insufficient given the scale of climate impacts facing vulnerable populations.

The EPA further advocated for a whole-of-society approach to climate adaptation, involving government institutions, local authorities, civil society organizations, women and youth groups, Indigenous and traditional communities, the private sector, academic institutions, and development partners.

As a coastal West African nation increasingly vulnerable to climate change, Liberia pledged to contribute to climate mobility solutions beyond its borders through regional cooperation with ECOWAS and the Mano River Union.

Closing his remarks, Dr. Yarkpawolo reiterated that climate adaptation efforts must ensure that people have the freedom either to remain safely in their communities or to relocate with dignity when necessary.

“By turning these Principles into a shared Adaptation Agenda, we can build resilience, ease vulnerability, and ensure dignity, resilience, and sustainability for all,” he said.