Report by Adeline Mapfumo and Nyashadzashe Ndoro
The Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Retired Air Marshal Perence Shiri has on Wednesday officially opened the Nationally Determined Contribution Target Tracking Training Workshop in Harare.
The workshop is hosted by Common Market For Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in line with Zimbabwe ‘s preparation for the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change which starts in 2020.
Giving his opening remarks, Shiri said that the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are a major component of the negotiated Paris Agreement adopted in December 2015 to enhance implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
“The Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are a major component of the negotiated Paris Agreement adopted in December 2015 to enhance implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),” he said.
Shiri urged the COMESA members to conduct through analytical and consultative process in reviewing their NDCs to ensure submission of implementable targets with necessary domestic and political support as preparation for Paris Agreement implementation is taking place.
“The Paris Agreement calls for Parties to submit revised NDCs by 2020, I encourage all members to conduct thorough analytical and consultative processes in reviewing their NDCs to ensure submission of implementable targets with the necessary domestic and political support.”
“As we prepare for the Paris Agreement implementation which starts in 2020, it is critical that we build the necessary capacities to track our efforts in NDC implementation through appropriate means such as training workshops, towards a common understanding of the approaches recognising similarities across the region in terms of NDC focus areas, existing capacities and gaps to implement them and the potential we can have through regional collaborations,” he said.
In an interview with Zim Morning Post yesterday, climate change advisor Mclay Kanyangarana said the climate change programme is there to help COMESA member states to solve problems caused by climate change which include water scarcity and load shedding mainly affecting Zimbabwe and Zambia.
“Our function is essentially to work with and support our member states and meaningfully address the problem of climate change.”
“We have people from the countries and we are to walk through requirements and to monitor their progress in resolving the impacts of climate change,” he said.
Shiri said Zimbabwe is still trying to recover from the devastating effects of Cyclone idai which left parts of Zimbabwe ravaged which left hundreds dead.
“Climate change is becoming more evident and those who were sceptic about it are now facing its reality. As I speak, Zimbabwe for example is still trying to recover from the devastating effects of Cyclone Idai that ravaged parts of Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi in March this year leaving thousands dead, displaced and a trail of infrastructure destruction,” he said.
NDCs are at the heart of the Paris Agreement and they embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
The workshop was attended by representatives in the department of the climate change programme from Ethiopia, Malawi, Zambia, Uganda, Kingdom of Eswathini, Rwanda, Addis Ababa, Congo, Madagascar, Ghana and South Africa.
These countries are supposed to submit their revised NDCs by 2020 and report their tracks.
“The Paris Agreement calls for Parties to submit revised NDCs by 2020, I encourage all members to conduct thorough analytical and consultative processes in reviewing their NDCs to ensure submission of implementable targets with the necessary domestic and political support,”Shiri said.
