NEW YORK — The Republic of Liberia has renewed its call for a fair, practical, realistic and equitable approach to the decarbonization of international shipping, emphasizing that the transition to net-zero emissions must not impose disproportionate economic burdens on developing countries.
The call was made as Liberia presented its proposed alternative approach to the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Net-Zero Framework during a high-level engagement with United Nations Member States. The presentation forms part of Liberia’s continuing engagement with the international maritime community on how best to achieve the objectives of the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships, while ensuring that the transition remains equitable and responsive to the circumstances of developing countries.
Liberia Supports Ambitious Climate Action:
Liberia’s position recognizes the urgency of addressing climate change and fully supports the international maritime sector’s responsibility to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. As a major flag State and a climate-vulnerable developing country whose history and economy are deeply connected to the sea, Liberia maintains that there is no contradiction between ambitious climate action and the protection of developing-country economies.
Liberia’s position is that the transition must be pragmatic, realistic, performance-based, affordable, scalable, equitable and legally coherent within the mandate of the IMO. The country has therefore raised a fundamental consideration: how can the global maritime community achieve its climate ambitions while ensuring that developing countries, many of which depend heavily on international maritime trade for essential commodities, do not bear disproportionate economic costs?
Protecting Trade, Food and Energy Security:
International shipping remains critical to the movement of food, fuel, medicines, machinery, construction materials and other essential commodities.
Liberia cautions that significant increases in the cost of maritime transportation could have consequences beyond the shipping sector, potentially affecting food security, energy security, inflation, trade competitiveness and sustainable development. For this reason, Liberia believes that the economic implications of maritime decarbonization must be considered alongside environmental objectives.
The country has also emphasized the importance of country-specific economic impact assessments, noting that developing countries have different economic structures, trade profiles, technological capabilities, infrastructure, access to finance and levels of dependence on maritime transportation.
Liberia believes that a comprehensive global assessment should therefore be complemented by assessments that adequately capture the particular circumstances and vulnerabilities of individual developing countries.
A Practical and Equitable Transition:
Liberia’s proposed approach seeks to advance the IMO’s climate objectives while reducing the potential economic disruption associated with the transition. The proposal emphasizes commercially viable alternative fuels, operational and technological efficiencies, infrastructure development, capacity-building and other practical measures that can support a sustainable transition.
Liberia also advocates for capacity-building and support mechanisms that are predictable, transparent, equitable and genuinely responsive to the needs of developing countries. The country maintains that developing countries should not be required to absorb significant economic and trade costs first, with the expectation that subsequent support or redistribution will fully compensate for those impacts.
Instead, the transition should be designed from the outset to minimize disproportionate economic consequences.
Evidence-Based Decision-Making:
Liberia further stresses the importance of evidence-based policymaking before implementing measures with potentially significant economic consequences. Among the key considerations are the technical credibility, legal coherence, administrative workability, affordability, availability and scalability of proposed measures and alternative fuels across different regions, ports and shipping routes.
Liberia believes these considerations are essential to building a framework that commands broad confidence and can be effectively implemented by all IMO Member States.
Multilateralism at the Heart of the Transition:
Liberia reaffirmed that it does not seek to weaken global climate ambition.
Rather, it seeks a framework that allows climate action and sustainable development to advance together. The country maintains that the IMO’s legitimacy and effectiveness depend upon the meaningful participation and confidence of all its Member States—developed and developing, large and small, flag States and coastal States.
Liberia therefore continues to advocate a Net-Zero Framework that is ambitious in its environmental objectives while being fair, practical, affordable and equitable in its implementation.
“Net zero must not become a new burden on developing countries,” Liberia’s position emphasizes. The transition to a sustainable maritime future should instead create opportunities for investment, innovation, technology transfer, infrastructure development and capacity-building while protecting trade, food security and sustainable development.
Liberia stands ready to continue working constructively with IMO Member States and other stakeholders toward a maritime decarbonization framework that reflects the shared responsibility to address climate change while ensuring that no country is left behind in the transition.
Next Steps:
The IMO and its Member States are expected to continue deliberations on the Net-Zero Framework at the next session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), scheduled for November 2026.
Liberia is expected to remain actively engaged in the discussions and consultations leading up to and during the MEPC session, with the objective of contributing constructively to an outcome that is environmentally ambitious, economically responsible and equitable for all Member States.
