President Hakainde Hichilema led the Zambian delegation to the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), with a call to market Zambia and gain tangible benefits for the country’s economy.
Speaking when he addressed the Zambian delegation at COP27, President Hichilema called on all delegates to be good ambassadors for the country and ensure that they derive value for Zambia from their various engagements.
President Hichilema emphasized the need to take advantage of the good will that the global community has shown for the New Dawn administration to reap economic benefits that would eventually offset the challenges caused by climate change.
The President who had several bilateral engagements with the EU, the World bank among others, called on the Zambian delegation to utilize the conference to market Zambia’s development potential in all economic sectors especially energy, water, agriculture and tourism—sectors that are directly affected by climate change vagaries.
Earlier, when addressing UN Climate Change Plenary at the Leaders Summit, President Hichilema called for practical solutions to climate change challenges and urged leaders from the developed countries to fulfil their financial pledges to support various climate activities being undertaken by developing country parties.
He said as Chair of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN), Zambia had first hand information on how several African countries were already investing heavily in the implementation of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as submitted under the Paris Agreement.
Interestingly, at the time the Republican President was delivering his remarks, the plenary session was being chaired by a Zambian citizen, Ephraim Mwepya Shitima, Chair of the African Group of Negotiators and Vice President of the UNFCCC COP Bureau. The Bureau supports the COP, CMP and CMA through provision of advice and guidance regarding the ongoing work under the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement, the organization of their sessions and the operation of the secretariat, especially at times when the COP, CMP, and CMA are not in session. The Bureau is elected from representatives of Parties nominated by each of the five United Nations regional groups.
Here is a link to the video of President Hakainde Hichilema’s address as shared on the ZEMA Facebook page courtesy of State House Media https://fb.watch/hA9lo0WbS1/
