City of Bulawayo to benefit from Bloomberg Fund

BULAWAYO is among 150 cities from across the world that are set to benefit from the Bloomberg Philanthropy Youth Climate Action Fund, which seeks to rapidly launch and support youth-led climate initiatives.

The objective of the fund is to provide technical assistance to cities while engaging thousands of youths between the ages of 15 and 24 to design, produce, and govern climate solutions.

The Bloomberg Philanthropies Youth Climate Action Fund aims to provide an initial grant funding of US$50 000 to a maximum of 150 cities, enabling them to rapidly launch and support youth-led climate initiatives.

Bulawayo mayor Councillor David Coltart in December last year participated in the COP28 Local Climate Action Summit in Dubai where the Youth Climate Action Fund was launched.

COP28 is a United Nations Climate Change Conference that was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from November 30 to December 12 last year.

According to excerpts from the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) full council minutes, Cllr Coltart told councillors that these initiatives will be carried out over a period of six months and supported through micro-grants.

“Additionally, expert virtual guidance will be provided to assist with the launch and management of these micro-grants of up to US$ 5 000,” he said.
Cllr Coltart said the aim is to fund a significant number of youth-led climate initiatives that align with local needs and objectives.

“Furthermore, cities that will commit to utilising the initial US$50 000 within six months will be eligible to receive an additional grant of US$100 000. This additional funding will be awarded for further youth-led micro-grants over a span of 12 months,” he said.

“The active participation of young people is crucial to tap into their knowledge and creative potential, informing actionable measures and mobilising their capacity and resources to drive meaningful impact.”

Cllr Coltart said cities interested in this opportunity were required to submit an initial expression of interest by December 8 last year.

“They were also expected to designate a staff member who would actively participate in the programme if the expression of interest was approved.

The staff member will be responsible for monitoring project progress, highlighting success stories and providing regular financial and impact reports,” he said.

Cllr Coltart said he had already initiated the process by submitting Bulawayo’s name for consideration in this funding opportunity.

About 150 mayors converged at the convention that zeroed in on strategies to help cities engage youth in local climate efforts—not just as beneficiaries or champions, but as co-creators and implementers of new, and more ambitious solutions.

Bloomberg Philanthropies last year unveiled a US$50 million initiative to help cities across the world address global issues, including climate change, by launching programmes proven effective in other cities around the world.

In a statement, Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies founder, Mr Michael Bloomberg said the Bloomberg Cities Ideas Exchange will give city councils grants for startup costs and technical support, as well as sponsor trips and webinars to inform leaders about new programmes.

“Cities are a force for change on all of the big challenges we are facing, and we have long worked to spread the best ideas globally. This new Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange will intensify and expand those efforts, bringing new muscle and rigor to the replication process,” he said.

Last year Zimbabwe was named among individual countries with strong support networks and experts around climate change mitigation activities.

In 2010, Zimbabwe was in the top 10 of countries with transparency in its procedures.

Under the Transparency Framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, countries communicate reports to the secretariat and reports are reviewed every year.

Zimbabwe’s capacity is not going unnoticed as the country’s climate negotiators and scientists made significant contributions in previous COP meetings.

The country’s capacity training, communications, clarity of procedures, and general expertise of representatives are therefore internationally recognised while some countries and parties had nominated experts but no training has been done,

Some parties had not submitted nominations while others were not available or had no funding hence they don’t appear on the 2023 review cycle of parties with strong support experts.