REMARKS BY THE NATURAL RESOURCES HEAD OF SECTION AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE TO PROMOTE CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION

10.09.2019
Tanzania

Good Morning (HABARI ZA ASUBUHI)

• I am very pleased to see so many of you gathered here today at this important conference.

Intervention by Jenny CORREIA NUNES

Head of Sector Natural Resources, European Union Delegation

to the United Republic of Tanzania and East African Community

 

A NATIONAL CONFERENCE TO PROMOTE CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION

 6 September 2019, Dodoma, Tanzania

[Check Against Delivery]

 

Hon. George Simbachawene (MP), Minister of State in the Vice President's Office for Union Affairs and Environment,

Prof. Hozen Mayaya, Rector, Institute of Rural Development and Planning (IRDP),

Representatives from government Ministries and Agencies,

Representatives from Development Partners,

Representatives from NGOs,

Members of the Media,

Dear colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Good Morning (HABARI ZA ASUBUHI)

  • I am very pleased to see so many of you gathered here today at this important conference.
  • Let me start by commending the government of Tanzania in addressing climate change and its implications for the welfare of its people. Tanzania's ratification of the Paris Agreement in May 2018 and subsequent development of the Nationally Determined Contributions in December 2018 shows its commitment to global efforts.
  • We also recognize the efforts that the government is undertaking under the leadership of the VPO, both at local and international level.
  • From the EU side, we reiterate our commitment to continue working with the Government of Tanzania in addressing climate change and we are keen to support the country in meeting its targets in line with the Paris Agreement.
  • In fact in our new financial framework that will cover the next 7 years, the EU has committed to allocate up to 28% of its budget to climate change related actions. This is a significant amount and we hope others will follow. But how do we translate commitments into action on the ground?
  • Today we have gathered here in Dodoma to share lessons learnt about successful interventions that have been piloted under the GCCA+ Programme to address adverse impacts of climate change in Tanzania.
  • The Tanzania GCCA program, funded by the EU, started 10 years ago with a focus on the eco-village approach - which is an integrated approach to tackle climate change and adapt to it in various aspects of rural life. Since 2009, eight eco-village projects have been supported for more than EUR 10 million (Approx. TZS 25.428 billion).
  • In the current phase, called GCCA+, five projects have been implemented across various agro-ecological zones of Tanzania to promote different types of adaptation interventions (with a total financial envelope of 8 M EUR (Approx. TZS 20.34 billion)).

Ladies and Gentlemen,

  • Today's conference is the last external event organized by the GCCA+ programme. The conference is convened to showcase the success stories from the five projects in their adaptation interventions/actions and to share lessons learnt.
  • We appreciate the level of Local Government involvement in the implementation of these climate actions. Local Authorities are in a good position to plan, allocate budgets and implement climate actions in a way that addresses the pressing local needs in a more comprehensive way.
  • But the capacity of Local Authorities is often a challenge both in terms of financing and human resources, hence jeopardising sustainability of the interventions once the projects have ended.
  • So what we have learnt from these projects, and what is an important take-away, is that as Tanzania faces an increasing number of unpredictable weather patterns, it is more important than ever to support local authorities to work with communities in their efforts to adapt to climate change.
  • While the government has its responsibility to allocate enough funds from the budget to address climate change, as development partners we are committed to continue working together with the government and other stakeholders, including the private sector in Tanzania, to address these challenges, including capacitating the Local Authorities.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

  • In this context, in addition to the Eco-village projects that we are showcasing here today, I would like to mention 2 other projects that we are supporting in Tanzania through the GCCA initiative and which work closely with the local authorities:
  • One is the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL) implemented by UNCDF. The LoCAL II project promotes planning and implementation of climate actions by the Local Government Authorities.  
  • The other one is a project called Accountable Climate Actions and Finance Transparency Initiative (ACATI), implemented by ForumCC. This project aims at strengthening transparency and accountability of Local Authorities on climate finances.
  • But as Climate Change sees no borders, we should not forget the need also for regional cooperation in tackling its impact. We are therefore pleased to see that the EAC through its Secretariat in Arusha (with funding from the EU) has recently launched a new programme on Supporting Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Actions in the East African Community region (with a financial envelope of EUR 1.6 M), to improve regional harmonization of policies related to climate change.
  • All these projects resonate around the idea of strengthening the capacities of the state institutions to support planning, implementation and monitoring of climate actions and to instil resilience in the communities and their surrounding environment.
  • This conference is an excellent opportunity to for dialogue and to hear from the different GCCA projects what has worked well and maybe not so well, and what can be scaled up and replicated in other regions.
  • I conclude by urging the government and all those involved in the fight against climate change to continue working together to ensure coordination and best value for money in the use of our resources, and to learn from good and bad experiences so that those who are most affected by the impact of climate change, benefit from these interventions.

Asanteni Sana (Thank you very much)

Eco ac project