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Malawi Government has expressed its desire to see more institutions developing project proposals to Green Climate Fund to enable the country’s implementation of its climate change management priorities.
At the moment, the Green Climate Fund Board approved a six year project for Malawi worth US$ 12.3 million to enhance early warning systems as part of disaster risk reduction.
Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining, Bright Msaka said Green Climate Fund provides climate finance for developing countries to undertake actions to address climate change through mitigation, adaptation, capacity building among others.
But for the country to ably implement its climate change management priorities, Msaka said stakeholders from Government institutions, private sector, Civil Society, faith based institutions and academia are encouraged to develop project proposals which takes into account the country’s-driven strategies, priorities and needs, and submit proposals to the fund.
He expressed hope that successful proposals will help to attract investment to the country’s instruments such as National Climate Change Investment Plan, Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions and National Adaptation Programmes of Action.
“There is need therefore to initiate development project proposals to be submitted to the Green Climate Fund and other funds that are available under the Convention so that Malawi can develop and implement projects to restore its rivers, degraded ecosystems, forests, reduce emissions, increase climate resilience with the objective of achieving both mitigation and adaptation goals.” Said Msaka
The developed nations agreed to put money in a fund and money from that a fund will be distributed and allocated to countries depending upon the projects that a countries propose.
The minister said “There are identified areas where Government and NGO's can propose to the fund in order for them to get funding. So yes there is going to be available money to Malawi if we submit projects that meet the criteria that has been set for that purpose.”
He among others noted that the climate funding will assist the country in areas of climate information for farmers for example on time when the rains comes.
"We are going to have information readily available and we will going to work with institutions including NASFAM and others including extension workers to ensure that the information is readily available to farmers. The fact that we are going to also being in a position to tell people about and measure the levels of rivers and leaks and all water bodies we can then warn people to move away from areas of dangers so already issues of adaptation are being implemented through that fund" said Msaka
He emphasized that in terms of Technology and transfer, Malawi stands to benefit in technology identification, development and transfer of environmentally-sound technologies. Such technologies will be harnessed and developed through the support from the Technology Framework Mechanism which will assist Malawi in addressing its cleaner technology priorities.
He said Forestry sector will benefit from the Global Landscapes Forum: Africa Restoration Initiative also referred to as AFR100 which is continental initiative with the goal of bringing 100 million hectares of degraded and deforested land in Africa into restoration by the year 2030.
Paris Agreement calls for a signature ceremony in April 2016 and requests that UN Secretary General should keep the Agreement open for signing until April 2017. Malawi Government will after due consultations be signing the Paris Agreement thereafter ratifying it once necessary consultations and all arrangements are finalized.
Paris Agreement
The purpose of Paris Agreement will enhance the implementation of the Climate Change Convention that was adopted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 1992. It also aims at strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty.
The agreement will contribute to holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2º Celsius and pursue to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 Celcius
Paris Agreement acknowledges the inclusion of actions that contribute to Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) by avoiding deforestation and also recognizes role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.
The Paris Agreement contains decisions that will allow mobilization and provision of climate finance for developing countries to undertake actions to address climate change through mitigation, adaptation, capacity building, technology development and transfer, REDD+ and loss and damage.
The provision of scaled up financial resources should aim to achieve a balance between adaptation and mitigation, taking into account country-driven strategies, the priorities and needs of developing country Parties, especially those that are vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
Therefore developed countries are expected to continue to mobilize US$100 billion annually taking into account needs and priorities of developing countries.
The Agreement recognizes that climate finance will come from both external and national resources and also recognizes that grant-based resources are the preferred resource for adaptation actions as opposed to loans.
The agreement has established a Committee on Capacity building, whose aim is to address capacity gaps and needs in implementing climate change actions.
It is believed that unlike Climate Change Convention and its Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement has a clear pathway and road map for sources and channels for provision of climate finance
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