I
t gives me great pleasure to contribute to this discussion on the importance of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement.
This is where the rubber of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) meets the road of government policy and practice. This is because, in principle, the Paris Agreement made in 2015 obliges us to take stock of the implementation of the pact in order to assess our collective progress towards achieving its purpose and long-term goals.
In practice, the climate change agreement requires each country to outline and communicate its NDCs to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) secretariat every five years, with the first global stock-take slated for 2023.
In 2015, prior to the adoption of the Paris Agreement, Malawi submitted and communicated its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and scale-up adaptation actions through the Intended NDCs (INDC).
On July 30 2021, Malawi submitted its updated NDC to the UNFCCC. In the revision, Malawi advanced its ambition through a broader and quantified sectoral scope for mitigation targets and adaptation measures, as well as SDG alignment.
The updated NDC outlines the country’s post-2020 climate change priorities, including mitigation and adaptation targets and measures, with concrete strategies for addressing the causes of climate change and its effects.
It includes five new sectors which were absent from the 2015 INDC, including transport, biodiversity, tourism, social protection and disaster risk management, and early warning systems.
It also includes a commitment to increase the use of renewable energy and clean technology to meet increasing energy demand which dominates the mitigation potential.
The robust adaptation components of the NDC cover a wide range of sectors and includes adaptation options aimed at enhancing resilience and reducing risks. These include effective and efficient early warning systems, accessible and harmless water, blooming biodiversity and ecosystems and eco-tourism and smart agriculture.
Others are livestock and fisheries, climate-proofed infrastructure, buildings and energy systems and healthy and protected people.
As a nation, we are confident that the informed and targeted climate actions in our NDC is proving useful in accelerating efforts in the fight against climate change.
Our experience is that a critical success factor in the implementation and sustainability of NDCs is ensuring that they are designed to overcome barriers and foster ownership.
To achieve this, the NDC submission followed a comprehensive and highly consultative revision process coordinated by the Environmental Affairs Department.
The net effect of this approach is that Malawi has made significant strides towards addressing climate change. We have developed and are implementing the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions, National Adaptation Programmes of Action and a National Climate Change Response Framework.
In 2016, Malawi adopted the National Climate Change Management Policy, which provides strategic direction and priorities for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Malawi has also put in place a series of legislative sectoral frameworks and strategies to integrate environment and climate change management in socio-economic development activities, including within the third Malawi Growth and Development Strategy and the Malawi 2063 Vision.
Crucially, the country has also established a climate change fund as a basket for climate financing. Its purpose is to ensure that we manage climate finance by facilitating the collection, blending, coordination, disbursement and tracking of climate finance in line with the enhanced transparency framework under the Paris Agreement.
Through these initiatives, we expect to achieve a diversified, targeted and modern climate change management programme, with the following key performance indicators:
1. A six percent annual increase of land developed for irrigation.
2. A moratorium on the market use of inefficient appliances and equipment which lead to higher energy consumption.
3. Enhanced public understanding of climate change issues.
4.Greater use of adaptation and mitigation technologies in agriculture and health.
In all these dimensions, we relish the chance to establish new partnerships and revitalise old ones.
We invite you to partner with us and other developing countries like us in implementing our NDCs.
For Malawi, the financial cost for fully implementing our NDCs from 2020 to 2040 is $46.3 billion, which translates to $2.3 billion every year.
In short, though Malawi is fully committed and capable of contributing to the global objective of zero emissions by reducing its carbon emissions by half by 2040, we need your support in creating that green Malawi.
