By Rebecca Chimjeka Matemba in Baku, Azerbaijan:
Vice President Michael Usi has challenged Malawian negotiators at the ongoing 29th Conference of the Parties (CoP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, to speak with one voice.
At the conference, the country is advancing the Malawi Agenda on Climate Change.
He further challenged the negotiators to bring tangible results from the conference.
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“Let me emphasise that you are here representing Malawians, and make sure that when coming back home, you have tangible results from this conference,” Usi said.
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The Vice President met with different players in climate change financing, where he highlighted the need for adequate resources for Malawi to recover from the extensive damage caused by Cyclone Freddy.
He also had discussions with officials from Green and Opec Fund and the African Climate Fund.
Usi also had a meeting with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Usi is expected back in Malawi tomorrow.
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On Tuesday, Usi had a meeting with members of the African Climate Fund (ACF), where its executive director Saliem Fakir announced the appointment of a special adviser, who is expected to develop the fund’s programme in Malawi.
Speaking during the meeting, Fakir said the appointment of a special adviser to develop its programme in Malawi was a crucial step towards supporting the country’s climate resilience and sustainable development efforts.
“We are committed to helping Malawi and other African countries that have become vulnerable to climate change effects,” Fakir said.
In response, Usi said Malawi needed more resources so that the country could focus on economic development issues.
“We need experts to help us address climate change-related challenges, including how we can advance Malawi’s development goals,” Usi said.
The two also discussed the issue of possible collaborative efforts in addressing climate change-related effects and advancing Malawi’s development goals.
Currently, ACF operates in South Africa, Senegal, Kenya and Nigeria, with plans to expand into Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi.
ACF works with intergovernmental organisations such as the United Nations Development Programme to integrate climate change initiatives with economic development, focusing on the impacts of extreme weather events such as Cyclone Freddy.
The cyclone made landfall in Malawi on March 11 last year.
