We publish below the full statement by Speaker of Parliament of Zimbabwe, Advocate J.F.N Mudenda, on Parliament of Zimbabwe’s Experiences in Contributing to Global Stocktake Effort and Implementation of the Paris Agreement, At Parliamentary meeting on the occasion of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), hosted by the IPU and the Federal National Council, UAE, Expo City Dubai (6 December 2023).
Mr. President;
On behalf of the Zimbabwean delegation and my own behalf, please accept our profound gratitude for the invitation to attend this crucial assembly taking place at this opportune time which coincides with the inaugural Global Stocktake (GST) of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement’s imperative to collectively assess the limitation of the rise of global temperature to 1.5 degrees celsius, building resilience and aligning financial flows with low greenhouse gas emissions and climate resilient ecosystem. This Global Stocktake is anchored on Mitigation Action, Adaptation and Means of Implementation at country levels guided by their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
Accordingly, the Zimbabwean Parliament has embraced the implementation of the Zimbabwe Nationally Determined Contributions in collaboration with the Executive through the oversight role of its Environment Portfolio Committee and its Thematic Committee on Climate Change housed in the Senate which continually ensure that there is compliance in the reporting, monitoring and reviewing of the Paris Agreement obligations. Thus, in 2015, Zimbabwe committed itself to reducing its energy sector greenhouse gas emissions by 33% per capita by 2030. In 2021 Zimbabwe revised upwards its NDCs ambition to 40% per capita by 2030.
Mr. President;
Zimbabwe ratified and domesticated climate change and ozone layer depleting international agreements such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement, the Vienna Convention for the protection of the ozone layer and its Montreal Protocol as well as the Kigali Amendment on substances that deplete the ozone layer in an effort to demonstrate Zimbabwe’s commitment to containing climate change catastrophic impacts.
Furthermore, Parliament working collaboratively with the Executive, is implementing critical environmentally related policies such as the country`s Vision 2030, National Climate Policy, National Climate Change Response Strategy, National Climate Change Learning Strategy, the Climate Change Communication Strategy, the Renewable Energy Policy and the Bio Fuels Policy. The implementation of these policies has canvassed a stout national budget for effective execution. Soon, Parliament will enact a robust Climate Change Act in order to legally synchronise all the climate change policies in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe acknowledges the excellent hospitality tendered by the Speaker of the Federal National Council as we wish COP28 UAE positive outcomes. Climate change should not conquer humanity. Humanity must conquer climate change decisively.
I THANK YOU