By: Saidu Jalloh, Reporter D.S
Freetown, April 3, 2025 – The Environment Protection Agency of Sierra Leone officially launched the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0), the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), and the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) Development Processes on Thursday at the Atlantic Lumley Hotel.
The launch event gathered key representatives from various sectors, including relevant ministries, departments, agencies, development partners, the media, civil society groups, academics, and other stakeholders.
In his welcome address, Dr. Abu-Bakar S. Massaquoi, Executive Chairman of the Environment Protection Agency, described the three documents as “premium passports” that highlight Sierra Leone’s commitment to the global fight against the interconnected challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. He emphasized that these initiatives would demonstrate the nation’s proactive stance in addressing these crucial issues and achieving sustainability goals.
“We must ensure the success of these documents to strengthen partnerships and coalitions and shape the country’s identity in climate and biodiversity initiatives,” Dr. Massaquoi stated.
In his keynote speech, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Jiwoh Emmanuel Abdulai, underscored the critical role of data in informing coherent policies and enforcement, as well as fulfilling international obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). He highlighted the necessity of engaging decisively in combating the triple planetary crisis, noting that the documents must reflect reality to serve effectively as negotiation tools in achieving national and international environmental objectives.
Representatives from development partners, including the United Nations Development Programme Sierra Leone, GIZ, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the NDC Partnership, the European Union, PI-CREF, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, reaffirmed their commitment to collaborative actions aimed at restoring degraded landscapes and addressing waste and pollution for the benefit of both people and the planet.
Senior technical staff from the agency presented comprehensive outlines detailing the documents’ objectives, institutional frameworks, timelines, technical working group compositions, terms of reference, monitoring mechanisms, assessments, and target stakeholders.
The ceremony concluded with a series of recommendations regarding the further development of these vital documents, followed by a photo opportunity for attendees.
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