Malawi now has climate change policy

Malawi Government has approved the much-awaited National Climate Change Management Policy, chief director for Environment and Climate Change in the Ministry of Natural Resources, Mining and Energy Yanira Ntupanyama has disclosed.

Speaking at the consultative meeting in the country’s Capital City, Lilongwe, on the status of the domestication of the Paris Agreement, Ntupanyama said the approval of the policy would be a milestone to the subsequent enactment of the climate change legislation which will enhance and enforce management of climate change and the environment and natural resources in the country.

This means government and other stakeholders can now start responding to climate change development with the guidance of a national policy.

According to Care United States (Care US) advocacy and partnership manager-climate change and food security for Southern Africa, Vitumbiko Chinoko, the policy provides for coordination in climate response at local and national level.

“The development is a gesture of commitment by Malawi in joining the collective global efforts to fight climate change as expressed through its National Determined Contribution [NDC] deposited through United Nations Framewok for Climate Change Convention [UNFCCC] process,” Chinoko said.

However, he said it is critical that the policy implementation is prioritised through integration of climate change in all national development plans and processes, including the national budget.

During the meeting, Ntupanyama said the ministry is doing everything possible on the National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and National Appropriated Mitigation Actions (Namas) processes that would lead to the implementation of the Paris agreement.

Malawi participated at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP 21) to the  UNFCCC that took place in Paris last year.