Story by ZBC Reporter
THE Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Mr Washington Zhakata, has been appointed vice board Chairperson of the Adaptation Fund of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is housed in the World Bank, with immediate effect.
The Adaptation Fund was established to finance concrete adaptation projects and programmes in developing countries that are parties to the Kyoto Protocol and are vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
Since 2010, the Adaptation Fund has committed more than US$ 1.2 billion for climate change adaptation and resilience projects and programmes, including more than 176 concrete, localised projects in the most vulnerable communities of developing countries around the world with 45 million total beneficiaries.
It also pioneered direct access, empowering countries to access funding and develop projects directly through accredited national implementing entities.
Before he was appointed vice chairperson, Mr Zhakata as served as a board member representing Africa.
During his tenure, Zimbabwe has immensely benefited from two major projects worth US $10 million, with the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) having been accredited as a National Implementing Entity to handle climate funds on behalf of the Adaptation Fund.
A project worth US$5 million has been approved and is being implemented through EMA with a focus on enhancing the resilience of communities and ecosystems in the face of a changing climate in arid and semi-arid areas of Zimbabwe.
The other US$5 million project looks at increasing local communities’ adaptive capacity and resilience to climate change through increased groundwater exploitation in Zimbabwe and is being implemented through UNESCO.
Another US$10 million window is still available for Zimbabwe, with Mr Zhakata on board in the Fund’s management, the country will be guided appropriately to access the climate funds.
