NOVEMBER 2021
SOETZIM
ZIMBABWE AND COP26 COP26 is the 2021 United Nations climate change conference. For nearly three decades the UN has been bringing together almost every country on earth for global climate summits – called COPs – which stands for ‘Conference of the Parties’. Zimbabwe was one of the countries that attended the meeting and His excellency President ED Mnangagwa presented a speech. Inside: Full presidents speech at COP26
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In my country, we feel the impact of climate change more than most. Our temperatures have risen by approximately 2 degrees Celsius over the past century, which has seen a significant increase in extreme weather. In the past two decades alone, we have had to deal with 10 droughts. If world leaders do not step up climate action, developing nations at the forefront of the fight against climate change will see jobs lost, livelihoods destroyed, and lives devastated. That is something we must avoid and that is why Zimbabwe is coming to the table with ambitious plans to tackle climate change and save our planet. My government has now committed to reducing emissions by 40 percent before 2030. This builds on a previous commitment for a 33-percent emissions reduction set in 2017. The new target will see greenhouse gas emissions curbed to 44.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2e) by 2030, a reduction of about 30 million tonnes. One of our routes to achieve that is through significant expansion of renewable energy with the aim of having 26.5 percent of all energy from renewable sources by 2030. This includes investment in hydro energy, solar energy and biomass. We have also reaffirmed our comwe have been blessed with. We one provides a safe environment African bush elephant, the critically giraffe, African leopard, lion, plains year, mining was banned in all ernment entered a partnership Parks, signing a 20-year agreement Matusadona National Park.
mitment to conserve the diverse wildlife have 11 protected national parks, each for our wildlife, including African buffalo, endangered black rhinoceros, southern zebra, and several antelope species. Last those national parks. Moreover, my govwith conservation non-profit African in November 2020 for the management of
However, with all that ambition, we still need to cope with the shocks of drought and the impact of climate Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa, centre, change through necessary social safety poses with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, nets. That is why I have been appealing for multilateral support to suppleright, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he ment our efforts. Developed nations need to widen access to climate fiarrives for the COP26 on November 1 [Reuters/ Christopher Furlong] An image of the logo for UN Climate the longstanding pledge to contribute nance as soon as possible. Sadly, Change Conference (COP26) at the SEC – Glasgow 2021 $100bn annually to help developing countries deal with the effects of climate change has been elusive. The wealthiest countries must set an example and speed up this financing. All it demands is political will. Another step the leading economies should take to support us, and others, is to end the political and illegal use of sanctions. In late October, UN Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan called for the removal of sanctions on Zimbabwe by the EU and the US after finishing a fact-finding mission. She echoed the arguments I have articulated since taking office, that sanctions and various over-compliance with sanctions have had “an insidious ripple effect on the economy of Zimbabwe and on the enjoyment of fundamental human rights, including access to health, food, safe drinking water and sanitation.” If the sanctions are removed, we would have a fighting chance at fulfilling our plans to become a middle-income country by the end of this decade, helping thousands out of poverty, stimulating innovation and once again allowing Zimbabwe to play a leading role on the African continent. I believe we have demonstrated our willingness and desire to play a responsible role in the international community. We have made great progress over the last three years and addressed many of the reforms asked of us, including providing compensation to landowners who had their properties expropriated in the 2000s, and tackling corruption. We are applying to re-join the Commonwealth of nations and I hope my presence at COP26 is yet another sign of Zimbabwe’s reengagement efforts.
