-At LCOY 2026
The Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) Liberia 2026 closed its doors on August 28 at the Platinum International in Congo Town, capping a two-day gathering that pushed the country’s young climate advocates from the margins of policy discussion toward the center of national decision-making.
Held under the theme “From Promises to Proof: Young Liberians Monitoring, Implementing, and Advancing NDC 3.0,” the officially YOUNGO-endorsed conference drew government officials, UN representatives, civil society leaders and youth delegates from across Liberia’s 15 counties. The gathering culminated in the adoption of a National Youth Statement that will be carried to COY21 and COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, this November.
Liberia’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution, NDC 3.0, was validated in September 2025 and is widely regarded as one of Africa’s most youth-inclusive climate frameworks. Organizers trace its inclusive provisions directly to sustained advocacy from young Liberians, including the 2025 “Ganta Declaration,” which secured measurable commitments for the participation of children, youth and people living with disabilities in the country’s climate governance.
That progress arrives against a backdrop of acute vulnerability. According to figures cited from Liberia’s 2022 census, more than 85 percent of Liberians depend directly on natural resources for their livelihoods, while roughly 75 percent of the population is under age 35 making young people simultaneously the most exposed to climate shocks and the demographic most likely to shape the country’s response.
Organizers namely Liberia Youth for Climate Action (LYCA), and Liberia Rural Women Organization for Climate Action (LirWOCA), noted that more than 500 young advocates have passed through previous editions of LCOY, producing national declarations and securing youth representation at COP27 through COP30. This year’s statement builds on that record while sharpening its demands, arguing that consultation must now give way to genuine co-creation.
Representing the Presidential Youth Advisory Council, Mr. Mandela S. Gbollie, Chairperson of the Council told delegates that the current administration and the Ministry of Youth and Sports back youth-led climate initiatives regardless of political affiliation, and urged attendees to submit a formal resolution to the Office of the President, noting the president’s habit of personally reviewing correspondence.
Esther Tetenda Chawanda, speaking on behalf of UNDP-Liberia, framed climate change as an immediate threat to the country’s infrastructure, culture and youth opportunities, and pointed to a UNDP push for a “green transition” built on climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy and digital innovation. She invited young innovators to help define the specific priorities UNDP and Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency should advocate for at upcoming international forums.
A representative of the EPA’s NDC Facilitation Office, operating under the leadership of Dr. Emmanuel King Urey Yakpawolo, said the office has mapped stakeholders and assigned roles to move youth from passive participants to active partners in implementing NDC 3.0, with priorities centered on green jobs and the circular economy. The office called for what it termed a “mindset reset” on accountability for government, development partners and youth alike.
Assistant Minister for TVET Tamba F. Collins outlined practical mechanics for youth traveling abroad, explaining that accredited youth organizations can access government-facilitated “service passports” to ease travel to international conferences, while cautioning that the documents remain government property and must be returned upon re-entry.
ActionAid Liberia, the conference’s primary sponsor, detailed a broader track record of support, including two prior Climate Justice Summits, the most recent drawing more than 1,000 stakeholders and funding for two young Liberians, selected from a pool of 113 applicants, to attend COP31 in Turkey.
The National Youth Statement, adopted by delegates and endorsed by more than two dozen youth-led organizations, sets out demands across five areas; Climate Policy & Accountability, Institutionalizing youth participation in national climate governance and establishing annual youth-led reviews of NDC 3.0 commitments; Climate Finance & Equity, Mobilizing $500,000 by 2028 to operationalize a national youth climate innovation fund, and securing funding for five young Liberians to attend COY21 and COP31 in November; Adaptation & Resilience, Scaling up community-based responses to flooding, sea-level rise and illegal mining, and integrating climate education into school curricula; Human Rights & Justice, Operationalizing sections of the EPA Act to establish an environmental court by 2028, and a community-led climate tribunal by 2030; Innovation & Sustainable Solutions, Building a youth climate innovation hub and mobilizing a further $500,000 by 2030 for youth- and women-led climate-resilient agriculture cooperatives.
The statement also commits signatory organizations to ensuring at least 50 percent women’s representation in climate leadership roles going forward.
The formal conference followed a day of preparation on August 27, when more than 20 young Liberians took part in a Climate Youth Negotiators Training at the Orange Digital Center in Congo Town. The session covered the UNFCCC’s procedures, party positions and a live negotiation simulation.
Benjamin Karmorh, Liberia’s UNFCCC National Focal Point and a veteran of international climate negotiations since 2002, used the occasion to launch the Liberian Young Negotiators Group, aimed at strengthening youth representation at national, regional and international levels. One participant said the exercise felt like a genuine COP simulation and called for it to be expanded into a week-long program.
Organizers say the National Youth Statement will now be forwarded to YOUNGO, the UNFCCC’s official youth constituency, for incorporation into the Global Youth Statement ahead of COY21 and COP31 in Antalya this November placing Liberia’s youth demands directly before international negotiators for the first time under the new NDC 3.0 framework.
