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Dialogue with Senior Policy
Makers on Climate Change
Results of a Miombo AIACC Meeting with Policy Makers
George Mkondiwa
Principal Secretary, Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environmental Affairs
• Brief introduction of workshop
• Issues
– Challenges
• Floods, droughts, landslides, erratic rains etc
• Accessibility of information to the majority of our people
(outreach)
– Approach/Response
• Environmental Management Act 1996
• Institutional arrangement: CC office (academia, govt officers
and private sector)
• Promoting projects to address climate change
Development and Climate Change
• How can this be done?
– Dialogues with different stakeholder groups
– Revision of PRSP, EA and other
environmental laws to reflect climate change:
to enable integration of climate change.
– Need to develop projects in adaptation to
climate change
– Introduce climate change in curriculum at all
levels
– Build human capacity in climate change
Issues Raised
• High staff turnover at high levels: given; need to
consistently debrief and raise awareness with new
people before effective participation
• Policy issues: Malawi not a significant emitter, but will
suffer climate change effects – need continued active
participation in convention
• Need to document costs, etc of climatic impacts
• Project development and execution issues in relation to
GEF and its instruments: major barrier for effective
participation
• Need for a national/local integrated assessment model
that is relevant and ‘correct’ for our situation
Our view on Mainstreaming
• Will mainstream to understand the problem, and
design appropriate responses. But it should be
clear where funding will come from to implement
the responses and interventions
• National Policy documents being revised to
facilitate climate change considerations in
planning
• Several other issues that must be mainstreamed
as well – poverty, HIV/AIDS, etc
Grand Challenge
• Primary concern is problem of poverty, in
relation to basic needs
• After alleviating the poverty, the other
problems can be addressed