Namibia first developing country on COP24 track

NAMIBIA is the first developing country to submit its biennial update report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Environment and tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta announced this in Windhoek on Tuesday, where he explained that the report details Namibia’s level of national emissions and efforts to reduce such emissions.

He was addressing the media on the outcome of the 24th session of the Conference of Parties (COP24) to the UNFCCC that took place from 2-14 December 2018 in Katowice, Poland.

COP24 aimed to finalise the implementation plan for the 2015 Climate Change Accord signed in Paris, France.

“Namibia has made it again this year at COP24 for being the first developing country to be well on track as it has submitted and presented its third biennial update report to the UNFCCC,” Shifeta said.

At the same event, the Environment Investment Fund of Namibia signed a Funded Activity Agreement worth N$140 million with the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to support climate change adaptation and disaster risk management in the Kunene region.

Currently, Namibia is in the process of implementing a N$60 million project, funded by the Adaptation Fund, for desalinated underground water at Bethanie and Grünau in the //Karas region.

The Adaptation Fund was established under the Kyoto Protocol to provide financial resources for concrete climate adaptation and resilience projects in vulnerable countries.

Namibia also requested the GCF for a grant of N$5 million to lay an economy-wide national adaptation plan.

This grant will allow Namibia to strengthen adaptation of climate change projects as well as aid the country to become a climate neutral economy by 2030, Shifeta added.

COP25 will take place in Chile towards the end of 2019.

– Nampa