Malawi has vowed to use its status as one of seven front-runner countries in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as African Group of Negotiators on Least Developed Country (LDC) Chairperson, to push for climate adaptation financing.
Forestry and Natural Resources Minister Nancy Tembo said the country would, among other things, use its LDC leadership position to access two-year funding amounting to £200,000 (about K90 million) for use in implementing adaptation and resilience activities in the country.
“We are working with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) on the modalities for accessing these funds. Malawi has already joined some initiatives, such as the Least Developed Country Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience under this coalition.
“Malawi joined and signed this initiative in Spain. We have so far signed a Memorandum of Understanding with IIED,” Tembo said.
She added that the government was working closely with the British High Commissioner’s office in Lilongwe on issues the government would want to showcase at the next climate adaptation meeting, set to take place in Scotland in November this year.
Tembo said Malawi was ready to start implementing initiatives under Adaptation Action Coalition that the United Kingdom (UK) prime minister Boris Johnson launched recently
“We are taking all these initiatives because we understand that there is a need to help vulnerable communities cope with climate change impacts,” Tembo said.
Malawi is emerging as a key ally of the UK.
It is a member of the Adaptation Action Coalition which Johnson launched last month to ensure that political commitments for adaptation are turned into on-the-ground support.
Together with Bhutan, Malawi is co-chairing the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility, which aims to channel grants for locally-led climate change adaptation actions in LDC countries.
Malawi is also a member of the African Group of Negotiators, which is due to host the next climate talks in 2022.
Malawi continues to face devastating effects of climate change such that adaptation and resilience-building are at the core of its climate change management agenda.
The country was approached by the UK government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to join the Adaptation and Resilience Coalition, one of the nine coalitions that were established at the Climate Action Summit held on the margins of the 2019 United Nations General Assembly in New York, the United States.
Source: The Daily Times_February 10, 2021-By Rebecca Chimjeka