A 16-member consortium of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has resolved to join the global target of reducing the GreenHouse Gas emissions and limit temperature rise to 1.5 Degrees Celsius in accordance with the United Nations Framework Conversion on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The resolution was made during a two-day meeting led by the Zambia Climate Change Network (ZCCN) in partnership with ActionAid Zambia (AAZ), SNV and Caritas Zambia held at Lusaka’s Cresta Golf View Hotel.
The meeting which was aimed at reviewing the Zambian Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement applauded government for developing national policies and NDCs to address climate change.
It was however noted that Zambia was not implementing actions prioritised in the NDCs for various reasons including-lack of local research in climate change matters, poor funding in the key sectors of Agriculture, Forests and Land use (AFOLU) as well as Energy with less attention given to the Water sector.
The meeting also identified poor implementation of the legal frameworks and inadequate guidelines as other contributors to the slow progress made in meeting its NDCs targets 5 years after the signing of the Paris Agreement.
This is according to a statement issued to ZANIS in Lusaka this afternoon by the Chairperson for the Civil Society Organisations Monica Chundama.
“The NDCs are a critical contribution to the attainment of the Paris Agreement in addition to securing the lives of Zambian citizens, especially the livelihoods of vulnerable communities. There is need to ensure NDCs are properly targeted for efficient and effective implementation at country level,” she stated.
Ms. Chundama added “We want to see the NDCs mainstreamed into countries sectoral and national development strategies.”
She indicated that the Zambia Climate Change Network implored CSOs and government to collaborate in Climate Compatible Development efforts such as information sharing and advocacy among stakeholders, capacity building at local level in the planning and review of national policies such as the NDCs in an effort to cushion the effects of climate change.
