The Liberia Environmental Sustainability Forum will be held in Washington DC, USA on September 21st to the 22nd, 2011 (more details to follow)

                                                            Vision Statement:

Liberia Environmental and Sustainability Forum: Technical Capacity Building for Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA of Liberia)

The Liberia Environmental Sustainability  Forum will bring together key stakeholders in the areas of environment and development from Liberia, the USA and other parts of the world. The focus of the Forum is Organizational, Institutional and Technical CapacityBuilding for the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia (EPA of Liberia).

The Forum will provide a platform for discussion of the numerous environmental challenges that the country is facing. The meeting will also allow the EPA to present to its partners its five year strategic plan.

This Forum will bring together officials from the Liberian government, the private sector, technical experts and citizen activists to share perspectives, experiences and put forward ideas and solutions to support an effective environmental sustainability program for Liberia.  The Forum will focus on how to build capacity in the EPA and in the nation and advance partnerships to help Liberia to address critical environmental and developmental issues regarding natural resources management, air pollution, waste management, environmental education, climate change, water pollution, renewable energy, biodiversity conservation, deforestation, environmental law and justice, and a proposed Environmental Research Center (ERC).

The Environmentasl Sustainability Forum is aimed at reinforcing scientific and technological collaboration between the US and Liberia at a very high level, in a move to develop sustainable scientifically-based strategies for the management and preservation of Liberia’s ecosystems under threat. The key outcomes of the Forum include:

1. To bring together representatives of key stakeholders to catalyze opportunities for networking and collaboration among the U.S. and U.S.-based organizations and other international institutions;
2. To develop sustainable scientific-based strategies for environmental protection and sustainable development in Liberia;
3. To catalyze opportunities for networking and collaboration that will benefit EPA of Liberia and the nation as a whole.  

The Environmental Sustainability Forum will be divided into two parts. There will be a one day conference with very high level presentations and discussions aimed at educating US and international audiences and potential partners about Liberia’s environmental and developmental challenges. It will be followed by a one day workshop with a goal of developing specific outcomes and recommendations and partnerships.