As civil society pushes for greater representation of community voices in climate negotiations, the country’s negotiators to the global United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP 29) will advocate for climate finance.
The country will join the African Group of Negotiators in demanding increased climate finance, particularly for adaptation measures under the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance of US$1.3 trillion per year by 2030.
This strong focus on climate finance, adaptation, and loss and damage is captured in the country’s position paper for COP29 and is based on a consensus that adaptation is at the core of outcomes at COP29.
The New Collective Quantified GCF is a new global climate finance goal that the Conference of the Parties shall set from a floor of US$100 billion per year, before 2025, which was meant to be mobilized for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) through pledges.
“It is the country’s view that the new finance goal aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty, including by making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development,” the paper said.
At COP29, Zimbabwe will also highlight the urgent need for adaptation measures, particularly in sectors like agriculture, water, and health. The country will call for increased financial support to implement its National Adaptation Plan.
Civic society other hand is pushing for greater representation of community voices at the COP to engender a wholesome response informed by the lived realities of people in low-income countries. This putsch seeks to bridge the gap between global climate decisions and local realities, ensuring climate justice and inclusive solutions.
Civic society demands reforms of the COP (Conference of the Parties) process and greater representation of community voices to ensure climate responses reflect the lived realities of low-income countries.
At The Weekly, we concur that by amplifying community voices, the COP can create a more inclusive and responsive global climate governance framework.
Farai Maguwu executive director of the Centre for Natural Resources Governance (CNRG) says, climate dialogue must be accessible and inclusive, allowing marginalized communities to share their experiences and shape policies affecting them.
“It must not be prohibitively expensive for communities, especially those most affected by climate change, to participate in critical dialogues. The official CoP (Conference of the Parties) forums need to make room for Indigenous communities and marginalized groups to share their lived experiences—stories of survival, resilience and hope in the face of climate adversity.
“At CNRG, we believe in the democratization of the climate discourse. It is essential that all voices, especially those from the grassroots, are heard in shaping policies that affect us all. Climate change is a collective challenge, and the solutions must be built on the inclusion and participation of every community.
“We must advocate for the inclusion of local perspectives in these discussions. Only then can we achieve meaningful and equitable solutions to the climate crisis.”
The 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) will convene from November 11 to 22, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.