COP27 crucial towards achieving climate change fight targets-Mkaka

Malawi: Eisenhower Mkaka, Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change, has stated that the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) scheduled for November 6-18, 2022 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, will assist African countries, including Malawi, in meeting targets set in the fight against climate change.

He made the statement on Wednesday in Lilongwe during a press conference about Malawi's participation in the upcoming COP27.

Mkaka stated that through COP27, African developing countries would gain support from developed countries, allowing them to meet their targets in the fight against climate change.

He said: "Africa's contribution to pollution is at most 4%; as a result, it bears the brunt of the impact of climate change and suffers the most. As a result, we expect that the developed countries will provide just and equitable support to small and developing countries like Malawi to realise their ambitions and targets in the fight against climate change.”

He also stated that the Malawi government requires U$46.3 billion to support programmes aimed at combating climate change in the country and that COP27 would assist the government in raising the funds required to implement the programmes.

"We have aggregated all the activities, interventions, and initiatives related to the climate change fight, and according to estimates, we believe U$ 46.3 billion would be required in order to fulfil the plan that has been put in place. As a result, we are looking for our development partners to lend a hand in order for us to achieve our goal, and we believe that it will be at COP27 where we will be able to directly lobby for support from our development partners," he said.

According to Mkaka, government officials, representatives of civil society organisations (CSOs), and journalists are among those expected to attend COP27 in Egypt, along with the country's president, Lazarus Chakwera, who will deliver a speech at the conference.

Diplomatic delegates, a representative from the Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CISONECC), and some government officials attended the media interaction.

Speaking at the event, United Nations Resident Coordinator Maria Ribeiro praised the decision to hold the COP27 in Africa.

She also stated that hosting COP27 in Africa would enable African developing countries that will attend the conference to request the assistance they require from their development partners.