Extracted from: ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report: Liberia Humanitarian
Situation Update No. 109
16 - 22 July 2004
Environmental Protection seminar ends in Monrovia
A two-day seminar in Monrovia on the environment ended during the reporting
period with meeting participants with a clear resolve that environmental
protection was a priority sector in Liberia's recovery and reconstruction
process. Over 100 participants from government, NGOs, academic circles and
the international community attended the discussions. The meeting resolved
that: 1) environmental issues should be firmly entrenched as a cross-cutting
theme in all reconstruction programmes planned and currently underway for
Liberia; 2) the administrative structure of the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) should be finalized through the appointment of its National
Environment Policy Council and Board of directors; 3) the National
Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan should be signed and adopted by the
National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL); and 4) environmental
issues are used to build stability in the region through increased
cooperation between neighboring countries and the establishment of
trans-boundary protected areas. The seminar was jointly organized by UNDP,
UNEP and UNMIL and the discussions focused on two recent environmental
reports - a UNEP "Desk Study on the Environment in Liberia"
and the "draft National Biodiversity Strategy and Action plan" to be
executed by the EPA. It is envisaged that UNDP will implement the plan with
funding from the Global Environment Facility. Both documents highlight the
importance of biodiversity and the natural environment for Liberia's
reconstruction and development."
Kelly
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