By Tatenda Mujeyi
Zimbabwe is working towards Implementing its Nationally Determined Contributions with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Russia.
The Climate Change Management Department in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement held a validation workshop for the Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) and the attendant Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) Framework in Harare yesterday.
“The STIZ-NDC project is a collaborative effort by the Government of Zimbabwe and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with support from the Government of Russia. The project seeks to enable the country to meet its NDC target by delivering the Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) and the Measuring, Reporting and Verification Framework.” Kudzai Ndidzano said in a speech he read on behalf of the Director Climate Change Management Department Mr. Washington Zhakata.
The workshop also sought to evaluate on the funding mechanisms and institutional partnerships that are necessary to generate the necessary successes.
“There is need to devise funding strategies that best meet the requirements for Zimbabwe to meet the climate change challenges. Financing can be through grants, loans and there is need to facilitate for Private sector’s inclusion in the financing of such projects,” the Project Consultant said.
Zimbabwe has sought the adoption of the Paris Agreement through a number of ways that include the establishment of a NDC High level steering Committee.
“There is need for us to engage the high level steering committee so as to allow for the alignment of the climate change issues across ministries. If the permanent secretaries in all ministries are made aware of our efforts, streamlining the necessary processes across all sectors will in turn become easie,” said Annie M Madzara the Assistant Resident Representative, Head of Poverty Reduction, Environment and Climate Change Unit of the UNDP.
The workshop follows vast efforts by the collaborative partnership to better inform on Zimbabwe’s NDCs and strategies towards meeting the Paris Agreement 2020 submission deadlines.
“The consulting team presented the inception report and the methodology to the key stakeholders on the 22nd of November 2018 in Bulawayo. From the 4th to the 7th of June 2019 most of you participated in focused sector specific consultations. The government with support from KAS has already started the consultations towards the climate change legislation,” Ndidzano added.
The workshop came up with an array of recommendations that are mainly aimed at improving efficiency within the forestry sector, agriculture and waste management .