Zim Parliament’s Commitment to Climate Action Highlighted at COP28
By Staff Reporter
Speaker of the Parliament, Advocate Jacob Mudenda has expressed gratitude for the opportunity to discuss Zimbabwe’s commitment and contributions to the Global Stocktake (GST) and the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
Addressing delegates at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) hosted by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Federal National Council, UAE, Advocate Mudenda underscored the importance of aligning financial flows with low greenhouse gas emissions and fostering climate-resilient ecosystems.
“On behalf of the Zimbabwean delegation and my own behalf, please accept our profound gratitude for the invitation to attend this crucial assembly taking place at this opportune time which coincides with the inaugural Global Stocktake (GST) of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement’s imperative to collectively assess the limitation of the rise of global temperature to 1.5 degrees celsius, building resilience and aligning financial flows with low greenhouse gas emissions and climate resilient ecosystem. This Global Stocktake is anchored on Mitigation Action, Adaptation and Means of Implementation at country levels guided by their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
“Accordingly, the Zimbabwean Parliament has embraced the implementation of the Zimbabwe Nationally Determined Contributions in collaboration with the Executive through the oversight role of its Environment Portfolio Committee and its Thematic Committee on Climate Change housed in the Senate which continually ensure that there is compliance in the reporting, monitoring and reviewing of the Paris Agreement obligations.
“In 2015, Zimbabwe committed itself to reducing its energy sector greenhouse gas emissions by 33% per capita by 2030. Demonstrating our commitment, we revised our NDCs in 2021, aiming for a more ambitious target of 40% per capita by 2030,” Advocate Mudenda said, highlighting Zimbabwe’s dedication to addressing the climate crisis.
The country’s commitment to global climate action goes beyond the Paris Agreement, as Advocate Mudenda highlighted the nation’s ratification and domestication of international agreements such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, and the Montreal Protocol.
Advocate Mudenda shed light on the collaborative efforts between the Parliament and the Executive in implementing environmentally related policies.
Notable among these are Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030, National Climate Policy, National Climate Change Response Strategy, National Climate Change Learning Strategy, Climate Change Communication Strategy, Renewable Energy Policy, and Biofuels Policy.
The Speaker also announced Parliament’s intention to enact a comprehensive Climate Change Act.
