Zambia seeks UN support for green economy, as UNDP says $150,000 committed to programmes

The Zambian government has called on the United Nations (UN) to help secure international funding for its green economy initiatives, emphasizing the need for financial resources to achieve the country’s environmental goals.

Green Economy and Environment Minister, Mike Mposha, highlighted this need during a meeting with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative James Wakiaga in Lusaka on Wednesday.

“We invite the UN to support capacity-building programmes for our government officials, civil society organizations and the private sector,” Mposha said.

He stressed that knowledge sharing and capacity development are critical for the successful implementation of sustainable development policies.

Mposha also requested UN support in developing climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, including enhancing Zambia’s capacity to access climate finance and implementing sustainable land management practices.

Addressing the meeting, Wakiaga acknowledged the environmental and socio-economic challenges caused by drought, exacerbated by climate change.

He outlined UNDP’s commitment to support the government’s drought response efforts, including repurposing solar-powered irrigation under the SCRALA Project to ensure affected communities have year-round access to water and food production.

“The energy deficit negatively impacts economic sectors and could lead to further environmental degradation, such as increased charcoal production,” Wakiaga said.

He noted that UNDP was supporting government initiatives within the green growth strategy to promote access to renewable energy through the productive use of electricity.

Wakiaga announced that UNDP would provide financial and technical assistance to the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment (MGEE) to develop gender and youth-inclusive programmes that support resilience, low-emission practices and water efficiency, aiding Zambia in meeting its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) goals.

“Through its Climate Promise initiative, UNDP has committed USD 150,000 to support Zambia in undertaking a stock-take of NDC implementation, assessing progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Wakiaga added.

He encouraged the ministry to adopt a programmatic approach to implementing climate change, biodiversity and green growth interventions to maximize impact.

Wakiaga further stated the urgency of conducting a gap analysis of early warning systems and infrastructure, given the anticipated extreme climate change, to ensure that real-time and localised climate information reaches farming communities.

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