The EPA is Liberia’s principal authority for environmental management. It coordinates, monitors, supervises, and consults with relevant stakeholders and sector Ministries, Agencies, and Commissions (MACs) on all activities related to protecting the environment and sustainable use of its natural resources.
The Government of Liberia (GoL), through the EPA and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and with funding from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), received funding for the project “Enhancing Resilience of Vulnerable Coastal Communities in Sinoe County of Liberia (ERVCCS).” EPA is the project’s Executing Entity. It is financed by a GEF Trust Fund grant and co-financed by UNDP and the GoL.
The project aims to build on existing projects to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities and their livelihoods to the impacts of climate change, focusing on women and youth. Specifically, project interventions include 1) Strengthening Institutional Capacity for Climate Change Adaptation Planning, 2) Supporting Innovative Technologies for Climate Information and Communication Management, 3) Introducing Hybrid Adaptation Solutions, and 4) Supporting Resilient Livelihood Diversification through Training and Improved Access to Finance. The majority of the above interventions will target all coastal counties in Liberia. In contrast, hybrid adaptation interventions will be explicitly implemented in Sinoe County, one of the country’s most vulnerable coastal counties.
As per component three of the project, 800 m of revetment and five 20-m groynes must be constructed Downtown, while 700 m of revetment must be installed in Seebeh, the two communities mostly threatened by erosion in Greenville. Implementing this component of the project cannot be done without skilled workers (engineers, equipment operators, etc.) and unskilled laborers (flaggers, safety representatives, geotextile installers, traffic directors, etc.). Considering that the engineers will be seconded by implementing partners, including the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the project must contract a Human Resource Management Firm (HRMF) that will shoulder the responsibility of hiring forty-four (44) unskilled laborers who shall be recommended by their respective communities.
The task of the HRMF not only includes the hiring process, but it also covers time management, contract administration, safety management, and attendance management of the workers throughout the construction. The responsibilities for the laborers shall be defined by the firm in full consultation with the project. For example, there shall be four groups of ten workers, with each group headed by a supervisor. The group shall include the technical team, the traffic management team, the occupational health and safety (OHS) team, and the waste management team
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