Liberia is taking a significant step toward inclusive and gender-responsive climate action with a National Policy Dialogue aimed at integrating care systems into the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0 Investment and Financing Plan. 

Convened by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), the dialogue brings together government institutions, civil society, youth and women’s groups, and development partners to align climate finance with care economy priorities.

Liberia’s revised NDC 3.0, validated in September 2025, commits the country to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 64 percent by 2035 while strengthening resilience and promoting inclusive green growth. A core pillar of this commitment is the allocation of 20 percent of climate finance to women-led cooperatives, smallholder farmers, and women entrepreneurs. 

However, unpaid care work such as childcare, elderly care, household labor, and water and fuel collection remain largely under-recognized in climate planning, despite climate shocks disproportionately increasing care burdens on women and girls.

The two-day dialogue in Buchanan City focused on bridging this gap by positioning the care economy as a critical enabler of climate adaptation, mitigation, and resilience-building. Participants worked collaboratively to identify policy actions, financing entry points, and institutional roles that will ensure care-responsive investments are embedded in the NDC 3.0 Investment Plan.

UNDP is supporting the dialogue through technical facilitation, policy guidance, and coordination, contributing expertise on gender-responsive climate finance, care climate linkages, and inclusive green economy opportunities. 

The engagement aims to strengthen evidence-based decision-making and ensure alignment with national development frameworks and gender equality priorities.

Salimatu Gilayeneh, UNDP Energy and Environment Lead emphasized the importance of the dialogue, noting that Liberia often overlooks the heavy burden of care placed on women because it is seen as “normal” or cultural, even though it deeply affects women’s ability to participate in climate and development processes. 

She urged the group to identify concrete care priorities that should be included in the investment plan, ensuring that women, care work, and climate resilience are visibly integrated in the roadmap.

She reaffirmed UNDP’s commitment to supporting the Government of Liberia to ensure that gender equality, care burdens, and climate adaptation are mainstreamed across national programs and future climate financing windows.

From the panel discussion on ‘Understanding Liberia’s NDC 3.0, Gender, Youth, and Children Priorities’, Speakers highlighted that unpaid care work remains one of the biggest barriers to women's participation in economic, environmental, and climate decision‑making spaces. 

The panel underscored that unpaid care responsibilities—including water collection, caregiving, food preparation, and household management—create substantial time constraints that prevent women from fully engaging in green economy programs.

Youth representatives stressed that young people must not only be consulted but structurally included in the design and rollout of NDC investment programs. They argued for clear roles, youth-targeted green jobs, and dedicated financing that supports young innovators and climate actors. Youth participation in climate monitoring, reporting, community mobilization, and awareness was highlighted as essential.

Expected Outcomes

The National Policy Dialogue is expected to deliver five policy recommendations and five actionable steps for integrating care economy priorities into Liberia’s NDC 3.0 Investment Plan. Key outputs include a draft roadmap outlining priority interventions, responsible institutions, timelines, and indicative financing needs, as well as documented stakeholder inputs on gender priorities and green investment opportunities.

Institutionally, the dialogue aims to strengthen collaboration among EPA, MoGCSP, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), youth and women’s groups, and the private sector, while building shared understanding of the care economy’s role in climate resilience. Commitments from at least five key stakeholders are expected to advance care-responsive climate planning in Liberia.

For UNDP, the mission enhances visibility of its support to inclusive climate governance, strengthens internal technical capacity on integrating social and economic dimensions into climate finance, and informs future programming aligned with national priorities on care systems, women’s economic empowerment, and resilient development.

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