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CISONECC PRIORITIZES
CLIMATE CHANGE ADVOCACIES for 2013-2015
By Kondwani Kalibwe Mkandawire
Living Waters Radio
The Civil Society Network for Climate Change CISONECC recently came up with its 2013 work plan based
on key focus areas of its strategic plan. The CISONECC Advocacy Strategic Implementation Plan was
reviewed to ensure relevance of advocacy issues in the overall work plan. A number of advocacy issues
have been identified by the members and the need to prioritise the advocacy issues for effective
advocacy was responded to. Members identified three critical issues which include the establishment of
a National Implementing Entity, development of the National Action Plan (NAP) and building capacity of
government representatives with improved negotiating skills at the COP.
Establishment of a National Implementing Entity. The Adaptation Fund (AF),
established by the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is
mandated to finance concrete adaptation projects and programmes in developing countries that are
Parties to the Kyoto Protocol and to allow direct access to the Fund by Parties. It is this latter
characteristic – direct access – that has raised considerable interest among the international climate
change community. Civil society has praised this development as an innovative element of the Fund’s
governance structure that seeks to ensure country ownership. Also, if direct access proves successful, it
will provide an evidence base that can serve as a model for future funding, including current discussions
around the establishment of a ‘Global Green Climate Fund’.
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Direct Access describes the fund-recipient relationship whereby the recipient country can access
financial resources directly from the fund, or can assign an implementing entity of their choosing. Direct
access is in contrast to indirect access, where funding is channeled through a third party implementing
agency, usually a multilateral organization, selected by the fund administrators.
The logic behind this approach is to increase the level of country ownership, oversight, and involvement
in adaptation activities, and to create stronger accountability of the recipient country to the Fund. It
thus removes the intermediary role by transferring the implementing agency functions from third
parties to the beneficiary countries themselves. It is expected that direct access can help ensure proper
reliance on and harmonization with national systems, plans and priorities; can help increase the speed
of delivery of desired outcomes; cut transaction costs by ‘domesticating’ core activities; and potentially
achieve better targeting of local priorities (Adaptation Fund, 2009a). It is on this basis that CISONECC
members decided to lobby government to establish a National Implementing Entity to enable Malawi to
directly access funds under different global climate change funds.
Development of the National Action Plan. The operations of the NIE can only be effective
though if Malawi develops implementing mechanism such as the NAMA and the NAP. Aware of this fact,
CISONECC has included in its priority advocacy issues the development of a NAP and the review of the
NAPA and the NAMA. Critical issues affecting vulnerable communities that work with CISONECC
member organisations will have to be included in these instruments to ensure responsiveness.
Building capacity of government representatives with improved negotiating
skills for COP. National advocacy efforts by networks like CISONECC are intended to complement
government efforts in lobbying for relevant and responsive policies at the international platform. It is
therefore imperative that those that are entrusted to advance the Malawi climate change agenda at the
international forums should be competent. So far Malawi is under-represented at the COP in terms of
numbers and negotiating skills which has prompted CISONECC to take up the issue of capacity building
in this context to contribute towards improving competency among Malawi negotiators at future COP
meetings.
Several other pertinent issues have also been identified for advocacy in the 2013/2014 work plan but
the three issues will be given the utmost attention. “the reason we are want to prioritise these issues is
to enable us focus as a network on which issues we want government to pay attention to and act
speedily on for the good of the country in terms of addressing climate change issues” Melton Luhanga,
CISONECC chairman reiterated.
The network has also adopted a ‘thematic working group’ approach in addressing advocacy issues. The
approach is supposed to improve the way the network engages with government and other
stakeholders in the different themes around climate change. It is also seen to help improve members’
focus and learning processes within the network.
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“One aspect of CISONECC as a network is to encourage exchange of information and experiences among
member organisations and we believe by having thematic working groups within the network, members
will learn from each other and eventually make CISONECC very effective when it comes to advocacy on
different thematic areas” said Herbert Mwalukomo, CISONECC coordinator.
Climate change represents one of the greatest environmental, social, and economic threats facing the
planet today. In developing countries, climate change has the most significant impact on the livelihoods
and living conditions of the poor. It is a particular threat to the attainment of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) and progress in sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Increasing
temperatures and shifting rain patterns across Africa reduce access to food and create effects that
impact regions, farming systems, households, and individuals in varying ways. Additional global changes,
including changed trade patterns and energy policies, have the potential to exacerbate the negative
effects of climate change on some of these systems and groups. Thus, analyses of the biophysical and
socioeconomic factors that determine exposure, adaptation, and the capacity to adapt to climate
change are urgently needed so that policymakers can make more informed decisions. Lastly, this in
underscores the importance of coalitions like the Civil Society Network on Climate Change whose
members have responded to the call of building a climate change-resilient Malawi.
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