PHOTO: Participants of the dialogue on women’s political participation
Monrovia, Liberia – April 15, 2025 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) of Liberia have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening Liberia’s resilience to disasters through enhanced collaboration, institutional support, and strategic partnerships, says UNDP press release.
During a high-level engagement held last week, at the NDMA headquarters in Monrovia, UNDP Liberia Resident Representative Aliou Dia and his team met with the NDMA Executive Director, Attorney Ansu V.S. Dolleh, to assess progress, review current cooperation, and explore areas for future support.
The meeting aimed to sustain and expand the longstanding partnership between the two institutions, ensuring that NDMA is well-equipped to fulfill its mandate of coordinating national disaster risk reduction and management efforts.
Discussions focused on evaluating the agency’s strengths and challenges, aligning ongoing efforts with national priorities, and identifying new avenues for resource mobilization.
Dia said UNDP remains committed to empowering the NDMA to effectively manage disaster risks, save lives, and protect infrastructure.
Established by law in 2016, the NDMA coordinates Liberia’s disaster response efforts and disaster risk governance at the national and sub-national levels.
Under the leadership of Executive Director Dulleh, the agency continues to develop its technical and institutional capacities, bolstered by support from the UNDP.
Since 2018, UNDP has provided strategic support to NDMA through financial, technical, and material contributions, including the establishment of the Emergency Operating Center (EOC), training of technical staff, and the development of a disaster risk assessment and response strategy.
These efforts have enabled Liberia to meet key global commitments under the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, including the development of national strategies and early warning systems.
The meeting highlighted past achievements and reaffirmed ongoing support for decentralizing disaster governance by operationalizing County Disaster Management Committees (CDMCs) across Liberia.
With support from UNDP, CDMCs have already been established in Bomi, Bong, and Grand Bassa counties, with plans to expand to Sinoe County this year.
The Executive Director of NDMA, Attorney Dolleh, expressed gratitude for UNDP’s consistent support and called for continued collaboration to fully operationalize the EOC and enhance Liberia’s disaster preparedness architecture.
Looking ahead, both parties emphasized the need to operationalize Liberia’s disaster risk and reduction strategy and leverage domestic and international funding opportunities, especially through climate change adaptation financing.