Monrovia – The World Bank Group has called for stronger environmental and social risk management across its projects in Liberia, warning that weak safeguards could delay development gains and erode public trust.
Speaking Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at an Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) training for Project Implementation Units (PIUs) at the Royal Grand Hotel, the Bank’s Liberia Country Manager, Georgia Wallen, said effective risk management is central to delivering meaningful and sustainable development outcomes.
The training brought together staff from projects funded under the World Bank portfolio in Liberia, focusing on improving compliance with environmental and social standards during implementation.
Safeguards Key to Development Success
Wallen emphasized that Liberia’s development priorities—particularly job creation, governance reforms, and private sector growth—depend heavily on how well environmental and social risks are managed.
“These objectives cannot be achieved without strong environmental and social risk management during implementation,” she said.
She noted that risks linked to construction activities, community impacts, workplace safety, and gender-based violence—including Sexual Exploitation and Abuse/Sexual Harassment (SEA/SH)—can significantly affect project outcomes if not properly addressed.
“When these risks are well managed, projects move faster, communities engage meaningfully, and trust in institutions increases,” Wallen stated. “When they are not, projects face delays, disputes, and loss of credibility.”
Protecting the Most Vulnerable
Wallen linked effective safeguards to the World Bank’s broader mission of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity, stressing that poor environmental and social performance disproportionately harms vulnerable populations.
She highlighted the importance of addressing gender-based violence risks in Liberia, describing it as critical to inclusive growth.
“In a high-GBV-prevalence setting like Liberia, inadequate SEA/SH risk management can exclude women and girls from project benefits and erode community confidence,” she warned.
Building Stronger National Systems
Beyond immediate project outcomes, Wallen said the training is part of a broader effort to strengthen Liberia’s institutional capacity.
She pointed to the World Bank’s Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for 2025–2030, which prioritizes building durable national systems for environmental and social risk management.
According to her, consistent monitoring, credible grievance mechanisms, and effective use of tools such as the Environmental and Social Incident Response Toolkit (ESIRT) are essential to embedding best practices within government institutions.
“This is about ensuring that environmental and social risk management becomes part of national systems—not just project-based arrangements,” she said.
Rising Expectations for Performance
Wallen cautioned that expectations around environmental and social compliance are increasing, with performance now playing a critical role in project ratings and overall portfolio assessments.
“Strong systems reduce risks for everyone—for communities, for implementing agencies, and for the country as a whole,” she added.
Focus on Delivery
She concluded by stressing that environmental and social safeguards are ultimately about delivering results that benefit citizens.
“It is about delivering infrastructure that is safe, services that are inclusive, and investments that strengthen trust between citizens and the state,” Wallen said.
The two-day training forms part of ongoing efforts by the World Bank to enhance implementation quality across its Liberia portfolio, with participants expected to translate lessons learned into improved project execution nationwide.
