Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri
Innocent Ruwende Senior Reporter
Government should introduce a climate fund to demonstrate the country’s commitment to combating the effects of climate change, as well as attract funding from multilateral funding mechanisms, Water Resources Development and Climate Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri has said. Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said Members of Parliament should influence the budget process by advocating for the fund.
She was speaking at a Pre-Conference of Parties 23 Stakeholders workshop in Harare last week. “This fund will demonstrate Zimbabwe’s commitment to combat the effects of climate change and will demonstrate Zimbabwe’s commitment to combat the effects of climate change,” she said.
“It will create the environment for attracting funding from other multilateral funding mechanisms like the Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation Fund, which require that parties should also chip in with co-financing to supplement provided resources.
“Fulfilment of Zimbabwe’s obligations on Nationally Determined Contributions to the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change requires resources. We need the requisite legal instrument that guides implementation of the NDCs.”
Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said Zimbabwe wanted to see the acceleration of the development of the governance and institutional arrangements and operating modalities for the Adaptation Fund to save the Paris Agreement.
She said the aim of the Zimbabwe delegation to COP23 should be to ensure that the Paris Agreement remained favourable to developing countries by upholding the principle of common, but differentiated responsibilities in light of national circumstances.
“As developing countries stakeholders, we need to engage each other and form a united front starting from within our own countries,” said Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri. “We should put our heads together from civil society, business and Government as our objectives should centre on ensuring building the resilience of our communities and economy to climate change and variability.”
Climate Change Management Department director and head of the Zimbabwe technical delegation to COP23, Mr Washington Zhakata, said one of the key priorities going to the conference was climate change adaptation. “Adaptation means reductions in risk and vulnerability through the actions of adjusting practices, processes and capital in response to the actuality or threat of climate change,” he said.
“This often involves changes in the decision environment, such as social and institutional structures and altered technical options that can affect the potential or capacity for these actions to be realised.” Mr Zhakata said public financial resources from developed countries were needed to implement the Paris Agreement.