The Government of Liberia and its international partners on Tuesday launched the Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Capacity Development Program.

The ACP-EU-GFDRR comprises: strengthening of the Emergency Preparedness and Response framework for Liberia, Establishing the communication for the Early Warning System of the Country and the Transfer of Risk and Integration of Disaster Risk Management.

ACP-EU-GFDRR- is the Africa Caribbean Pacific-European Union- Global Facility Disaster Risk Reduction.

During the formal lunch at the Ministry Of Internal Affairs, World Bank Country Manager, Ms Inguna Dobraja, extended thanks to the European Union-EU for providing five hundred forty-four thousand United States Dollars to Liberia as initial capital.

She also thanked the World Food Program-WFP for developing the program framework that will set the stage for smooth implementation.

Ms. Dobraja said, “The need to address Liberia’s environmental challenges is crucial.  Therefore, now is the time to take action in creating an early-warning system, and building institutional capacity for effective response.

She said, “As elsewhere in Africa, majority of Liberians depend on natural resources from Agriculture, such as, food crops, forest, coastal fishing and others, for livelihood; that is why much must be done under this program to guide against the disastrous effects of climate change as well as the effects of undesired human interventions with nature.

Also speaking at the launching program were representatives of THE EU, UNDP, USAID, IOM, UNMIL, as well as Ministry of Finance, among others.

Responding, Internal Affairs Minister Blamoh Nelson expressed appreciation to the World Bank, EU, the various UN Organs and other development partners, on behalf of Government for continuous assistance in capacity-building in all areas of national development.

Concluding, Minister Nelson said, “While Liberia cannot stop natural disasters, it can certainly prepare its national Capacity-building to guide against, prevent or limit its disastrous consequences upon the Liberian people; and this launch is an important first step for which Liberia is grateful”.

The Project comes as result of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and the World Food Program (WFP) for the empowerment of the National Disaster Relief Commission headed by the Internal Affairs Ministry.