On the 10th and 11th April 2013, over 70 stakeholders gathered together at the Holiday Inn, in Harare, Zimbabwe to officially launch the Water, Climate and Development Programme (WACDEP) for Zimbabwe, and kick-start implementation of the programme. As the WACDEP promotes water as a key part of sustainable development and contributes to climate change adaptation for economic growth and human security, key government institutions such as the Department of Water Affairs, including it’s parent Ministry, The Ministry of Water Resource Development and Management (MWRDM), played prominent roles at the launch.
The launch was officiated by the Honourable S.S. Nkomo, The Minister of Water Resource Development and Management. Other key invited guests at the launch were Mr. T. Musukutwa, Permanent Secretary for Special Affairs, Office of the President and Cabinet and Ms. F. Nhekairo, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resource Management.
The launch was also attended by the private sector and academic institutions such as the Institute of Environmental Studies of the University of Zimbabwe (IES). The Office of the President and Cabinet and IES are currently guiding the process of the developing Zimbabwe’s National Climate Change Response Strategy (NCCRS), and facilitating the workshops and seminars respectively. The NCCRS is near completion and stakeholders are currently developing it’s action plan.
The implementation of WACDEP comes at an appropriate time as the WACDEP will input into the on-going process of the development of the NCCRS. Speaking at the launch, the Secretary for Special Affairs, in the office of the President and Cabinet informed stakeholders that the climate change strategy is a very important instrument for the country as it will help the government to design comprehensive and strategic approaches on climate change adaptation, mitigation, technology, financing as well as public education and awareness.
A number of presentations were made at the workshop to provide an understanding of climate change issues and to exemplify how different sectors/ actors in Zimbabwe are dealing with water security and climate resilience issues. Among these were:
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Mr. Zhakata presenting on “the climate change issue” |
The presentation on the “Climate Change Issue” by W. Zhakata, the National Climate Change Coordinator, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Management brought out a number of issues showing the impact of Climate change on socio-economic development, and how climate change may be mitigated.
- The presentation on ‘Ecosystem Management in building climate resilience in water resources management in Zimbabwe’ by Elisha Moyo from the Metrological Services Department of Zimbabwe looked at the role of wetlands and forests in building climate resilience in water management, the human activities destroying water related ecosystems and the various Interventions undertaken by the Agency in reducing degradation of water related ecosystems.
- The presentation on “Water security and National Economic Planning and Investment”, by Dr. D. M Sibanda, Secretary for Economic Planning and Investment Promotion, brought out important reminders on transforming Zimbabwe’s economy and maintaining macroeconomic stability through the Medium Term Plan (MTP), 2011-2015. To implement this plan, Dr. Sibanda highlighted the MTP priority areas, which are water and sanitation, transport, energy and ICT as key drivers of economic growth.
By linking WACDEP with the NCCRS and the other related programmes in the country, stakeholders were given guidance to develop action plans that would operationalize the NCCRS.
The linkages would further widen consultation on the issue of water across sectors and be able to identify areas for capacity building and demonstration projects from areas prioritised in the NCCRS. A presentation on the National Climate Change Response Strategy and the Envisaged Linkages with the WACDEP Process was presented by Mrs. D. Tirivanhu, on behalf of the Institute of Environmental Studies.
The launch reaffirmed the various stakeholders and the Government of Zimbabwe’s realization of how critical Climate change is and the need to tackle it through multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral harmonized coordination amongst sector ministries. The stakeholders noted WACDEP’s role in coordination. This was brought out in the speech made by the Minister of Water Resource Development and Management who stated that:
“By taking the Water, Climate and Development Programme forward, we are showing that we have understood one important lesson of our times, that is, that commitment and partnership are some of the most powerful tools any community has at its disposal, if we are to bring about development.”
At the end of the workshop, the various stakeholders were more aware of WACDEP and its intended objectives in Zimbabwe. The group work discussions further enabled stakeholders to identify existing knowledge on the barriers and opportunities for mainstreaming water security and climate resilience into different sectors.