ACTIONAID ZAMBIA ON COP 27

8th November, 2022

PRESS STATEMENT

COP 27 – URGENT CALL FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF LOSS AND DAMAGE FINANCIAL FACILITY

ACTIONAID Zambia urges the Zambian government not to relent in its regional and global commitment to fight climate change and seek joint measures to mitigate the effects.

We commend President Hakainde Hichilema for personally attending this year’s COP as it demonstrates his government’s commitment to address climate change.

This year’s COP marks the 27th session which the Global Leaders have to be true and realistic to their commitment to the Paris Agreement, the Doha Amendment of the Kyoto Protocol as well as other subsidiary instruments addressing the impacts of climate change.

The COP-27 which is being hosted by Egypt in Sharm El Sheikh also known as the African COP as it is popularly called, should be true to the African Demands on climate change. It should not be any other COP that has not completely addressed Loss and Damage for the developing countries.

ActionAid Zambia calls on all the African leaders to view Climate change as a human rights crisis that require their urgent actions. The impact of climate change has created enough havoc on the lives of millions of people especially the marginalised grouping such as women, youth and people living with disabilities resulting in deepened inequalities and discrimination, threatening the enjoyment of most of our rights and the future of humanity.

ActionAid Zambia, therefore calls on the leaders to utilise these spaces to come up with resolutions that will allow them to move from acknowledgement of loss and damage actions to take steps that will facilitate the   establishment of   financial facility to allow developed countries pay for loss and damage.

From the Global South, developing countries like Zambia are facing adverse impacts of climate change that have not only resulted in food insecurities due to prolonged droughts and extreme floods, but has left part of the population displaced.  Further, the climate emergency is a human rights crisis of unprecedented proportions which has led most vulnerable communities freeing the places they have lived for many years due to the unsustainable actions of some Multinational Corporations who are causing environmental damage a situation which has further exacerbated the poverty situation of these vulnerable communities.

This damage has affected sensitive sectors of the country such as agriculture, food security, wildlife, forestry, water and energy, health, infrastructure, and social services affecting the economic, social and environmental dimensions of the national sustainable development.

ActionAid Zambia recognize the fact that, lack of loss and damage funding for climate induced disasters, will affect economies for developing countries such as Zambia whose projection stands at losing $210 million per year by 2030 due to droughts.

These resources can instead be channelled towards national development priorities.  The country will be pushed into more unsustainable high public and external debts and wide fiscal deficit as it responds to loss and damage which has already starting leaving most people economically vulnerable.

We therefore call upon respective governments at the COP not to neglect the establishment of the financial facility for loss and damage.

We call upon them to make some sound as well as a strong stance collectively in the quest to hold developed countries accountable to loss and damage.

This year’s COP is dubbed  “The Implementation COP”. It aims to shift focus from negotiations and planning to action on the ground. The summit will end on November 16th 2022

Musonda Kabinga (Mr)

Interim COUNTRY DIRECTOR-ACTIONAID ZAMBIA