BACKGROUND

Liberia’s coastal zone is adversely affected by several climate change impacts, including increases in: i) sea level rise (SLR) of 20–30 cm by 2040–2059 resulting from rising temperatures; ii) the frequency of high-intensity coastal storms caused by strong winds blowing over the surface of the ocean; iii) the intensity of rainfall events, demonstrated by an increase in precipitation on the maximum rainfall day of 9–18% by 2041–2060; and iv) rainfall variability, with wet season rainfall increasing by 1–2% and dry season rainfall decreasing by 4–13% by 2040–2059. These climatic changes, which are projected to continue to intensify in the future under a range of SSP scenarios, exacerbate the impacts of heavy rainfall, storm surges, and wave action on the country’s coastal areas. The impacts of climate change, combined with non-climatic drivers — such as sand mining, the expansion of agricultural areas, unsustainable fishing, pollution, and inadequate drainage systems — compromise the resilience of ecosystems and Liberian communities situated along the coastline. Consequently, local communities and ecosystems are experiencing increased coastal flooding and erosion, saltwater intrusion into groundwater supplies, waterlogging of inland areas, and sedimentation of rivers and freshwater resources as a result of SLR and higher-intensity rainfall events. The vulnerability of communities and ecosystems occurs through the: i) inundation and consequent damage of coastal infrastructure; ii) loss of fishery- and agriculture-dependent livelihoods; iii) decrease in stable income generation for coastal communities; iv) increase in conflict and competition over resources within communities; v) decrease

in food and nutrition security; vi) increased risk of vector- and waterborne diseases through waterlogging; and vii) increased pressure on surrounding ecosystems to compensate for the reduced provision of services from coastal, wetland and mangrove ecosystems. In addition, the vulnerability of Liberia’s coastal communities and their resilience to climate change, particularly in Sinoe County, is exacerbated by the limited capacity of the Liberian government to provide basic services and adequate support for, inter alia: i) water and sanitation; ii) healthcare; iii) utility-scale energy; and iv) road infrastructure.

OBJECTIVE

The M&E Officer will be responsible to provide strategic technical support to the project team both on and off-site to ensure that specific GEF monitoring requirements are met and drive the knowledge management aspects of the project.

The project Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officer will be responsible to ensure full compliance of monitoring and evaluation to the key listed components below: