The United States Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Linda Thomas Greenfield, formally received the Minister of Agriculture, Jeanine Cooper, at the US Mission to the United Nations to discuss ways of Liberia tapping into the US government’s recent billions of dollars pledges toward global climate change mitigations and food systems.
President Biden pledged US$100 billion towards climate change activities and additional US$10 billion for global food systems at the 76th UN General Assembly being convened since September.
Ambassador Greenfield welcomed Minister Cooper and provided pathways on how Liberia can secure funding from the pledges.
Within an atmosphere of cordiality and outstanding diplomatic courtesies befitting a visiting foreign government’s official, Minister Cooper lobbied how Liberia can build on its traditional partnership with the US to catalyze investments in Liberia’s agriculture, agribusiness and agroforestry programs.
The former US Ambassador to Liberia from 2008 to 2012 and later Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs [2013-2017] indicated that Liberia can benefit by working with the Development Finance Corporation, USAID, the Peace Corps and even the Department of Defense to capitalize on these pledges, especially in its bicentennial year.
Immediately, meetings that could have taken a month or more to organize were arranged and held with top officials of the US government’s Development Finance Corporation, USAID and US Government Climate Finance Team to follow up on key points to help Liberia from the meeting with Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.
The officials include Jake Levine, Chief Climate Officer; Aparna Shrivasta, Deputy Chief Climate Officer; Jesse Corradi, MD for Africa; and Michelle Akinrinade, Anglophone West Africa Advisor, among others.
In 2022, Liberia celebrates its 200th founding year by repatriated persons from the United States in 1822.
His Excellency President George Manneh Weah has declared next year as Bicentennial Year and instructed the planning and execution of appropriate activities to commemorate Liberia and US historical ties.
USAID has been one of the key drivers and funders of Liberia’s agricultural programs, with several projects around rural Liberia towards making the country food secured and seeking rural transformations.
At Liberia’s virtual dialogues launch on building sustainable food systems on August 18, USAID’s Mission Director to Liberia, Jim Wright, pledged the US government’s support to Liberia. “USAID will continue to be a key partner to the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Agriculture, and will support the outcomes drawn from the Liberia Dialogues on UN Food Systems geared toward developing viable and sustainable food systems in Liberia,” he declared.