PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20 2023
Zambezi Watercourse Stakeholders Meet to Interrogate Climate Change Resilience for Communities
Climate Change and how communities in the Zambezi Watercourse can be assisted to become resilient will take center stage during the 4th Zambezi Watercourse-wide Stakeholders’ Forum and Exhibition billed for 21 – 23 November in Maputo, Mozambique.
Stakeholders from the Zambezi Watercourse, the Southern African region and beyond and from various sectors will gather at Maputo’s Hotel Cardoso to share information and experiences through the theme: “Building strong communities that are resilient to climatic and economic shock in the Zambezi Watercourse through promoting inclusive transformative investments.”
The Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM) in collaboration with its partners is organizing the Forum. The forum is being held in hybrid format, with the Republic of Mozambique, the current chair of ZAMCOM, hosting the physical event.
Mozambique Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, Hon. Eng Carlos Mesquita is expected to officially open the Forum and Exhibition in the afternoon of 21 November 2023.
Discussions at the forum will be guided by four sub-themes revolving around mobilisation of financial resources for water infrastructure investment, the role of infrastructure development in climate change adaptation and mitigation. Challenges and opportunities of gender-responsive climate change financing and the role of research and analytical tools in providing evidence-based solutions to climate risks and mitigation will also be discussed at the forum.
“ZAMCOM is excited at holding the Forum and Exhibition. The selected themes are quite relevant as they focus on exploring climate smart investment opportunities which enhance communities’ ability to cope with the effects of climate change in the Zambezi Watercourse,” ZAMCOM Executive Secretary, Felix Ngamlagosi said.
The platform brings together stakeholders whose socio-economic and environmental developmental interests contribute to the achievement of ZAMCOM’s objectives through sharing of information and experiences as guided by theme and sub-themes.
The specific aim of the annual event is to take stock of climate proof investments that are taking place in the watercourse, apprise stakeholders of investment opportunities, as well as explore ways of attracting investment and come up with a resource mobilisation roadmap for the Watercourse. The platform will also explore ways of courting Ministries of Finance in the Riparian States to support investment initiatives.
Stakeholder engagement and participation is provided for as one of the ZAMCOM’s key principles for enhanced cooperation in the ZAMCOM Agreement. It mandates the organisation to work with stakeholders including Government institutions, SADC institutions, national and international organisations.
At the conclusion of the three-day event, it is expected that stakeholders, and ZAMCOM in particular, will among other things come up with an inventory of climate proof investments in the Zambezi Watercourse and a well-articulated Zambezi Watercourse resource mobilisation roadmap.
“It is our hope that the outcomes of this Forum will contribute to transformative investments, job-creation and ecosystem-based solutions in the Zambezi Watercourse” the ZAMCOM ES said.
ZAMCOM is an intergovernmental organisation that brings together eight Riparian States that share the Zambezi Watercourse. These are the Republic of Angola, Republic of Botswana, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Mozambique, Republic of Namibia, United Republic of Tanzania, Republic of Zambia and the Republic of Zimbabwe. The basis for the cooperation in the Watercourse is the Agreement on the Establishment of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission which was signed in 2004 and came into force in 2011. The Commission is headquartered in Harare, Zimbabwe.
For more information, please contact the ZAMCOM Secretariat through:
email: zamcom@zambezicommission.org; Leonissah Munjoma, Mobile: +263 773587634; email: Leonissah@zambezicommission.org
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