Chairperson of the Portifolio Committee on Environment, Climate and Wildlife Honourable Sam Matema
By Edson Mapani.
The Parliament of Zimbabwe through its delegation led by the Chairperson of the Portifolio Committee on Environment, Climate and Wildlife Honourable Sam Matema attending the Conference of Parties(COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification(UNCCD), has noted that arresting land degradation and soil degradation is crucial as the country makes a inexorable march towards achieving National Development Strategy 2(NDS2) and the realisation of Vision 2030.
In a media briefing marking the end of a two weeks long conference in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia which was held under the overall theme of COP17, “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope,” the Parliament also reaffirmed it’s constitutional mandate to oversee governance, enacting responsive legislation and representing the aspirations of the people.
“In alignment with our legislative mandate to promote sustainable development and protect national resources, Parliament recognises that combating land and soil degradation is central to achieving the National Development Strategy 2(NDS2) and realising Vision 2030, our national goal of an empowered, prosperous upper-middle-income society,” he said.
Hon. Matema added that land degradation and aridity are directly threatening Zimbabwe’s agricultural productivity, climate resilience and food security and that proceedings at COP17 had demonstrated that global policy action, legislative oversight and dedicated resource allocation are urgently required to combat soil depletion.
The Parliamentary delegation emerged with key takeaways and policy outcomes from COP17;global financial mobilisation progress, global drought frameworks and recognition of technical standards and traditional knowledge.
On the global financial mobilisation front, substantial commitments were made including the African Development Bank(ADB)pledge of $500million for aridity management and land restoration alongside targeted allocations from the European Union(EU), Spain and Asian Development Bank.In this respect, the Parliament promised to exercise it’s oversight role to ensure Zimbabwe actively access multilateral funds to support domestic restoration projects.
Pertaining to the progress on Global Droughts Frameworks, negotiators made breakthrough by consolidating progress from COP16 and COP17 into a unified decision thereby establishing a clear pathway towards the adoption of a binding global drought management framework at COP18.
In recognition of technical stands and traditional knowledge, member states finalised texts recognising traditional knowledge and pastoralist rights while establishing data safeguard and refining policy focus towards agricultural production systems to protect land and soil health.
The Parliamentary Committee on Environment, Climate and Wildlife said it is noteworthy for Zimbabwe to draw lessons from the host nation Mongolia’s pro-active leadership in hosting COP17 and it’s commitment to combating aridity.
“Mongolia’s national initiatives showcase the impact of strong political leadership and clear technical frameworks in reversing land degradation in vast agricultural and rangelands ecosystems,” read the statement.
In addition to that, the shift at COP17 broad concepts to specific “agricultural production systems” highlights the importance of protecting fragile topsoil and managing range land effectively hence Zimbabwe must also intensify sustainable land management in it’s agricultural zones.
The Parliament also cited that the recognition and empowerment of local farming communities as primary rights holders aligns directly with Zimbabwe’s goal under NDS2 to build community level climate resilience.
Meanwhile, the Parliament made a legislative commitment to NDS2 and Vision 2030 and to translate global political outcomes into national national progress reiterating that it will uphold it’s constitutional responsibilities by; strengthing legislative frameworks, robust Executive oversight and the approval for ratification and internal alignment.
“We will interrogate and review environmental legislation that safeguards soil health, protects vulnerable wetlands and deters land degradation. Moreover, we will also monitor government expenditure and protect implementation under NDS2 to ensure resources dedicated to climate smart agriculture and land restoration yield measurable gains towards our voluntary Land Degradation Neutrality targets.
Lastly, we want to ensure that international agreements including the drought frameworks advanced at COP17 are efficiently processed to serve national interest. Land stewardship is a fundamental pillar of Zimbabwe’s socio-economic transformation.
Parliament remains resolute in ensuring that legislative action, policy execution and international lessons are combined to safeguard our land for future generations,” read the statement.