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The Centre for Environment Justice (CEJ) has claimed that a minimum of US$1.7 million is required for the recently initiated Environmental Protection Dialogue (EPD) and the Traditional Leaders Caucus (TLC) strategy and implementation framework.
Executive Director, Maggie Mwape, stated that the strategy and implementation framework, which encompassed strategic objectives, outcomes, outputs, and activities, came with a budget amounting to US$1,713,645.9.
Mwape said that the implementation of the EPD and TLC strategy was scheduled over a three-year period, commencing in January, 2024 and concluding December, 2026.
She noted that the institutional framework pertinent to the resolutions and implementation of the EPD encompassed, among others, the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, and the Ministry of Justice.
Additional entities within the institutional framework for the resolutions and implementation of the EPD comprised the Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation, along with the Zambia Environmental Management Agency and Water Resources Management Authority.
“In line with its mandate to provide platforms for the engagement of multiple stakeholders on environmental problems in the country, CEJ founded the Environmental Protection Dialogue (EPD) in 2020. The EPD is structured to provide an annual multistakeholder platform for co-creating solutions to Zambia’s key environmental challenges through effective dialogue,” Mwape said.
She added that the ministries and government institutions were key in providing techinical support, oversight, designing policy & taking legislative actions.
Mwape also said CEJ developed a strategy and implementation Framework for actualising the EPD2020, EPD2021, EPD2022 and EPD2023 resolutions, together with those of the TLC 2022 and TLC 2023.
“The Framework will provide a structured approach to translating these resolutions into actionable plans, with a focus on accountability, monitoring and communication. The implementation framework outlines the goals, strategic objectives, proposed activities and funding requirements. It also incorporates an accountability mechanism specifying timeframes, responsible parties and clear targets to guide analysis, monitoring and evaluation of the implementation efforts,” she added .
“The implementation efforts will be documented in form of regular reports and shared with relevant stakeholders. An evaluation will also be undertaken of not only the results, but also the process, time frame and strategy for implementation in order to make required adjustments and improvements from lessons learnt,” she stated.
Mwape said several resolutions were adopted alongside calls to action by EPD 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 as well as TLC 2022 and 2023.
“The EPD resolutions related broadly to environmental law and regulation, management of natural resources (conservation of biological diversity, sustainable forest management; ecosystem restoration), sustainable energy, climate change, community water rights, environmental justice and rights, and protection of heritage sites.
The TLC resolutions centred on addressing forest fires, biodiversity loss, decentralization of natural resource management; land use in investments; codification of customary law; customary land tenure, and resettlement policies,” she concluded.
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