Online Reporter
Farirai Machivenyika
Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT will soon establish a National Climate Fund to inter alia, finance climate change mitigation and adaptation programmes and projects if the National Climate Change Management Bill is passed by Parliament.
The Bill was published in the Government Gazette last week and will be administered by the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife.
The Bill will establish a coordinated legal framework to guide the country’s climate action by mainstreaming climate change across all sectors of the economy.
The Fund and its objectives are contained in Clauses 25 and 26 of the Bill.
Other functions of the Fund are to; assist with co-financing mechanisms to unlock climate financing; to assist with funds for project preparation; to provide grants to local authorities or other public entities to support their climate change programmes or projects on adaptation and mitigation; to conduct assessments of climate change impact in Zimbabwe and to prioritise and foster gender mainstreaming, equity, inclusivity and other vulnerable groups.
The Fund will also be used to promote public awareness, information sharing, data sharing and access to information on climate change; to assist in capacity building and training of persons on climate change management; to encourage and facilitate, for the benefit of Zimbabwe, the transfer of climate smart services or technologies from national, regional or international partners or providers of such technologies.
Further, the Fund will be used to incentivise private and public entities for their efforts towards transitioning to clean energy and sustaining a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions; and to make provision for unforeseen climate emergencies or unanticipated projects urgently required in the national interest.
The Bill also establishes the Climate Change Management Department, which shall be responsible for the implementation of the Act as contained in Clause 7.
“The Climate Change Management Department, within the Ministry responsible for climate change management that existed on the date of commencement of this Act shall be the body responsible for implementing this Act,” reads part of Clause 7.
“Subject to this Act and any other enactment, the Department shall be responsible for the administration, implementation and coordination of national climate change policies, plans, strategies and actions, and report to the Minister. The Department shall decentralise to all provincial and district levels.
“There shall be a Director of the Climate Change Management Department, appointed for his or her qualifications and experience relevant to the functions of the Department.”
The gazetting of the Bill follows the approval of its principles by Cabinet in May.
