UAE, Dubai: PRESIDENT Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan yesterday urged global leaders to implement unfulfilled promises, including realising adequate financing for climate restoration as global temperatures increase due to delayed action.
Dr Samia made the statement while addressing heads of state and international institution leaders at the ongoing Conference of the Parties (COP 28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
COP28 is a series of United Nations climate change conferences aimed at reviewing the progress made by UN members in limiting climate change.
Dr Samia highlighted key unfulfilled promises, including the Copenhagen (Denmark) climate agreement in which world nations committed to a total of 100bn US dollars (about 252tri/-) annually for climate actions.
She said another unfulfilled promise is the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global carbon emissions to below 1.5 degrees Celsius and called for urgent commitment to cool down the alarming earth warming caused by a lack of execution of agreed interventions.
“Putting in place a global goal on adaptation framework is a matter of urgency, not choice. We must match our intentions with our actions, and we must act now,” Dr Samia said.
She said unfulfilled commitments erode global solidarity and trust in achieving sustainable development targets based on strengthened climate adaptation and resilience.
Dr Samia said the persistent effects of climate change have detrimental effects on developing countries, including Tanzania, where it has resulted in a two to three per cent reduction in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“The decision is therefore ours to adhere to science or face the consequences,” she said.
She said Tanzania, for its part, is maintaining efforts in line with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). She hinted that the country is advocating for clean cooking energy and requested world leaders to support the cause through financing.
She said this year’s COP28 should ignite financing for climate adaptation by ensuring funds are accessible and predictable, with transparency for the developing countries that face the most burdens.
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation released a statement informing that President Dr Samia will also host three high-level side events pertaining to clean cooking energy, sustainable agriculture and the blue economy.
The statement detailed that President Samia will preside over other heads of state and various international institutions during the launch of a special programme that seeks to enable women to access clean cooking energy.
The programme is called the “Africa Women Clean Cooking Support Programme (AWCCSP).”
“The programme fosters the use of clean cooking energy to address health, environmental, economic and societal challenges that mostly have a negative impact on women and children,” read the statement.
It said that for several decades, women have spent a lot of time searching for firewood, which has prevented them from engaging in economic activities. The AWCCSP will solve this problem.
Moreover, according to the statement, Dr Samia will also participate in two bilateral meetings with her counterparts and leaders of international institutions to continue strengthening Tanzania’s international relations.
Additionally, according to the statement, Dr Samia will oversee the signing of four Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between Tanzania and the UAE in the areas of employment, cooperation between the Dr Salim Ahmed Salim Centre for Foreign Relations and the University of Dr Anwar Gargash of the host country (UAE).
The two nations will also sign an MoU on security and anti-terrorism efforts, education, science and vocational training, read the statement.
According to the statement, a total of 70,000 participants, including 160 heads of state from 190 countries, will attend COP28. The Tanzanian delegation includes ministers, permanent secretaries, ambassadors, experts from ministries, government departments, universities and the private sector.
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Globally, the conference is themed “Unite, Act and Deliver,” while Tanzania observes the event at the national level with the slogan “Strengthen resilient agriculture and blue economy to prevent climate change.”
According to the statement, the slogan demonstrates Tanzania’s readiness to embrace the latest technologies and other alternatives to curb the effects of climate change and boost production, value addition, the development of the blue economy, expansion of markets, and inclusive sustainable development at large.
This year’s Dubai global conference on climate change is expected to fast-track the transition to clean energy, catalyse climate financing by environmental stakeholders, deliver on old promises and set a framework for a new climate financing approach.
