MUTARE– Zimbabwe has moved a gear up in its climate change mitigation and adaptation activities after setting aside US$3 million towards the drawing up of a national action plan, officials have said.
By Donald Nyarota
Director of the Climate Change department, Washington Zhakata told a capacity building workshop towards the National Adaptation Planning process, where he called for reduction of vulnerabilities to climate change.
Zhakata, who was represented by Kudzai Ndidzano, said government has set an agenda to enhance coordination and mainstreaming of climate change issues in national policies.
“The Government of Zimbabwe has successfully mobilised a USD 3 million dollar grant for the advancement of the National Adaptation Planning process agenda in Zimbabwe.
“The agenda seeks to reduce vulnerability to climate change by enhancing coordination of climate change issues in the country as well as mainstreaming climate change in national development planning frameworks and policies.
“Understanding of our national vulnerability status will be critical in ensuring that the country moves forward along a climate resilient trajectory as Zimbabwe’s development strategies shall need to factor in climate change considerations for sustainability,” said Zhakata.
“The challenge for the country is how to adapt to extreme weather events such as cyclones which cause severe flooding and droughts which are projected to increase in frequency as a result of climate change.”
NAP project manager Emily Mutengo said the adaptation agenda will set up an environment for short to medium term collaboration for stakeholders.
Mutengo said the NAP will mandate line ministries and departments to mainstream climate change in their programming to enhance resilience.
“Our goal through this plan is to build capacity improve our monitoring and evaluation, as well ensuring the streamlining of climate change adaptation and mitigation in line ministries and departments.
“We are setting up a framework for collaboration and cooperation across sectors that deal with climate change in the short to medium term,” she said.
Zhakata said climate change induced vulnerabilities are on the increase nationally as evidenced by recurrence of cyclones, include the recent Cyclone Idai which exposed communities to climate change induced risks.
He said government is in the process of coming up with a Climate Change Bill to enable a coordinated response action, enforce compliance, enhance adaptation and resilience to climate change.
“The Bill will also seek to foster compliance to emission reduction under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and promote the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) said Zhakata.
“The government as part of laying the ground work for climate change mainstreaming, is in the process of enacting a Climate Change Bill. The Bill is designed to foster compliance to emission reduction under the UNFCCC, as well as mandate Government institutions, private sector, academia and CSOs alike on the need to factor in climate change in their programming.
“Further, the Bill will make clear provisions for enhancing climate change adaptation and resilience in response to the country’s vulnerability and adaptation needs as well as establish a National Climate Fund to support identified adaptation and mitigation actions in the National Adaptation Plan to be developed under the NAP project and in the NDCs and Low Emissions Development Strategies (LEDS) respectively,” said Zhakata.
