By Tendai Guvamombe
The Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Swiss agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) on Friday launched four important documents on Climate Change Strategy.
The four documents launched virtually include National Climate Change Learning Strategy, Climate Change Mainstreaming Module for Development Planning, National Adaptation Planning Process Communication Strategy and Green Climate Fund Country Programme.
These are expected to compliment Zimbabwe’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Planning (NAP) processes aimed towards mainstreaming Climate Change mitigation and adaptation across various developmental programmes so as to ensure a low carbon and climate resilient future as envisaged in the National Climate Policy.
Three of the documents, National Adaptation Planning Process Communication Strategy , Climate Change Mainstreaming Module and Green Climate Fund Country Programme were developed with the support from an emerging multilateral Climate Finance Facility called the Green Climate Fund with the technical assistance from UNEP.
Climate Change is a major priority area which has been aligned to the national development processes such as the National Development Strategy 1 which runs from 2021 to 2025.
Delivering key note address during the launch, Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister- Mangaliso Ndlovu said the climate change learning strategy is embedded in the current National Development Strategy which seeks to mainstream climate change in all sectors. This also resonates with His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa in his Speech at the Climate Action Summit in December 2020, outlined the country’s commitment to address climate change.
In his own words, the President said “There is need to have long-term strategies to guide the transition towards green and climate resilient economies. Through our own, Vision 2030, Zimbabwe has given itself an ambitious target of greening its economy by the year 2030. The First National Development Strategy running from 2021 to 2025 has mainstreamed climate change adaptation and resilience in all sectors.”
Angus Mackay Head of United Nations Climate Change Learn Secretariat implored Zimbabwe’s climate change training agenda where he also made recommendations for the inclusion of education, civil service and general public in the implementation of climate change Programmes. He also reiterated on Zimbabwe’s climate strategy as a fulfilment of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change specifically of climate change education.
He emphasised that “The most important thing to remember about this Strategy is that it gives Zimbabwe control over its agenda for climate change training and education. People in the future will need a much more intuitive understanding of climate change in order to be able to live with it.
Angus added that “There is need to engage the general education system and teachers in particular to support the roll out of Climate literacy. There is also need to engage the general civil service and other professional learning institutions in the process. The public sector must take a lead because it is responsible for the implementation of public policies, policies such as Zimbabwe’s NDC and NAP processes.”
Madelena Monoja the UNDP Deputy Country Representative expressed excitement to have partnered the Zimbabwean Government and UNITAR in the development of Zimbabwe’s National Climate Change Learning Strategy, developed under the UN CC: Learn Programme’s Southern Africa Initiative. She added that the learning strategy identifies key important areas in the quest to achieve low carbon pathway through implementation of NDCs and Green Climate Fund Country Programme.
Madelena stated that “UNDP in collaboration with UNITAR through the generous support of the Swiss Development Cooperation is proud to have partnered with the Government of Zimbabwe in the development of Zimbabwe’s National Climate Change Learning Strategy, developed under the UN CC: Learn Programme’s Southern Africa Initiative.
She reiterated that climate education is a vehicle for promoting climate-sensitive development across the country’s broad socio-economic sectors which requires inclusivity and that no one is left behind as the nation strives to achieve its long-term goal of being a low carbon and climate resilient nation as well as achieving the vision 2030.
“This Learning strategy identifies the critical learning and skills development needs in the key climate related sectors such as energy, Agriculture, Environment Education and Health. The Strategy will also assist in the implementation of the country’s emissions reduction through the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) that are currently in the process of being revised and the rolling out of the Green Climate Fund Country Programme that seeks to address both climate change mitigation and adaptation actions.”
