Malawi upbeat on increased support from Scottish Climate Justice Fund

The Malawi Government says it is optimistic about continued and increased financial support from Scottish Climate Justice Fund, as one of the least developed countries.

Deputy Director of Forestry in the Ministry of Forestry and Natural Resources, Ted Kamoto, made the remarks on Thursday during the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) hub closing cocktail, which took place in Lilongwe.

Kamoto’s remarks come after the Scottish Government announced that it is doubling its financial support for the world’s poorest and more vulnerable communities in their efforts to tackle the impacts of climate change.

The Scottish Government said “starting from next year, the Climate Justice Fund will increase to six million pounds per year, providing 24 million pounds across this Parliament”.

Kamoto said there must always be a way of ensuring that part of such funds continue trickling to Malawi to help vulnerable groups of people.

“We have all the necessary tools and instruments that the country developed and would be used to ensure that the resources are ably used to address the issues of climate change. We have the National Resilience Strategy, the Climate Policy, among other tools.

“We are certain about continuing being beneficiaries of the Scottish Climate Justice Fund. We believe that whenever resources are made available, they will be used accordingly in order to benefit the most vulnerable groups of people that include women, girls and youths,” said Kamoto.

The 12-day COP26 hub, which was officially closed on Thursday, was setup at Ufulu Gardens in Lilongwe by Malawi Scotland Partnership (MaSP) in partnership with 2050 Climate Group and funding from the Scottish Government.

The hub brought together more than 200 young people across Malawi and enabled them to follow the proceedings of COP26, which took place early November in Glasgow, Scotland.

The closing ceremony, among other important people, brought together MaSP climate change young leaders, climate activists and other dignitaries, including Scottish Minister of Environment and Land Reform, who participated virtually.

In her remarks, MaSP Board Chairperson, Dr Ann Phoya, concurred with Kamoto, saying the Scottish Climate Justice Fund must indeed always find their way to Malawi.

“The Government of Malawi must also begin to make substantial budgetary allocations to climate change programs. This will complement what donors provide for us,” said Dr Phoya.

One of the climate change young leaders who participated at the COP26 hub, Mary Melisa Mkandawire, said it gave her the opportunity to understand how climate negotiations and deals are made during conference of parties.

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