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Africa Moyo Deputy News Editor

Member States of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa are meeting in Harare from today for a COP27 preparatory workshop.

During the two-day workshop which ends tomorrow, member States will exchange ideas and come up with a common position they will take to COP27 to be held in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt.

COP27 runs from November 6 to 18.

Comesa member States are parties to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement of 2015.

The workshop has attracted representatives from Comoros, Madagascar, Djibouti, Sudan, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Eswatini, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.

Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister, Mangaliso Ndlovu, has officially opened the regional preparatory workshop.

A number of representatives said it was critical that developed countries timely release funds for climate adaptation and mitigation programmes in line with their promises.

It emerged that it takes anything from three to five years for developing countries to access climate adaptation and mitigation funds.

In his remarks, Minister Ndlovu said Zimbabwe was “highly honoured to be holding this important regional meeting that will deliberate on the key issues related to the upcoming COP27 and hopefully inform our regional perspective”.
“It is clear that climate change is impacting the Comesa region through numerous disruptions on its socio-economic fabric,” said Minister Ndlovu.

He said droughts were seriously reducing agricultural output and hydro-electric power generation whilst tropical cyclones were causing infrastructure damage, forced migration and loss of life in some parts of the region.

The rise in the sea level, he said, was threatening coastal infrastructure such as ports, cities and tourism establishments.

“These are already having severe impacts on the health, wellbeing and incomes of the population,” said Minister Ndlovu.