By Wezzie Gausi:
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that the country becomes resilient to climate change-induced damage, The Daily Times has learned.
Secretary for Natural Resources Yusuf Mkungula said Sunday that this is in line with what Natural Resources and Climate Change Minister Michael Usi pledged at the Conference of the Parties (CoP) 28 last year.
“So, what we have done is to come up with a taskforce comprising technical experts from relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), civil society organisations and the private sector. Malawi got a lot of pledges and, to unlock the resources, we have started with implementation of six projects.
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“A roadmap has been developed and concepts [are] being formulated [ready] to be submitted to the development partners that made those pledges. The ministry is leading this process to ensure that there is collaboration and coordination in accessing resources [meant] for supporting and building resilience of vulnerable communities in the country,” Mkungula said.
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Last week, environment management advocate Maloto Chimkombero urged the government to fast-track the process of accessing financial resources that development countries pledged.
He said this would enable the country to repair some of the damage which climate change has caused.
social responsibility
In March this year, Director of the Centre for Environmental Affairs at the Catholic University of Malawi Dr Isaac Mwalwimba tipped government to incorporate the academia in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation frameworks.
Mwalwimba made the call during a research dissemination seminar at the university’s campus.
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In a presentation themed Multi-hazard Vulnerability Framework for Enterprise Participation in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in Malawi’, Mwalwimba said government has a political responsibility and that it should, therefore, formulate public policies with a clear understanding of people’s vulnerabilities, including avoiding taking away their responsibility and shifting the burden on enterprises.
“Government has a social responsibility and should apply the framework to harmonise systems to be fair and just without treating others in a sense of social leniency, green washing practices and prioritisation of proof over environmental and social responsibility.
“The government should find the framework significant to establish clear regulations and accountability mechanisms to ensure that its involvement genuinely contributes to sustainable and equitable outcomes,” Mwalwimba said.
