Challenges

Malawi, is ranked among the 10 poorest countries in the world, suffering from recurring droughts and also severe floods. Extreme weather events are frequent, exerting a heavy economic and human toll. Aggressive deforestation to produce charcoal and expand agriculture fields exacerbates the consequences of global warming. Beyond the human toll, climate disasters have serious consequences on agriculture, fishing and the purchasing power of families living sometimes on less than 50 eurocents a day.

Toward a Solution

This project supported the Government of Malawi to climate-proof the policies, strategies and sectoral plans of the economy most directly affected by climate change, in order to create an enabling policy and regulatory environment within which vulnerable communities will be empowered to adapt to these challenges in harmony with the environment. At district level climate information centres were created. These are libraries created at the district level equipped with information, reports, publications, which the public assesses and use in the day to day activities.  In liaison with another project on disaster risk reduction such information was available for use by the community radios in their programs.  Several workshops were held on capacity building notable is the one on climate financing facilitated by the delegation from Rwanda through the South-South exchanges.  At district level, special targeting of communities to build resilience to climate change through introduction of conservation agriculture, improve grain harvesting, introduction of fish ponds and irrigation in the community .

As part of the initiative, following in the footsteps of Rwanda, Malawi with support from UNDP, embarked to establish a national climate change fund to help put the country on a greener development path. At the request of the Government of Malawi, UNDP Facilitated South-South exchanges between Malawi and Rwanda in the area of climate finance.  A delegation of officers from government visited Rwanda and learnt about the process toward establishment of the Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA), a green fund which invests in public and private projects that have the potential for transformative change to buildinging a strong green economy.  The delegation saw the results of the support for environment management supported by funding from FONERWA this include the green villages program.  A year later a delegation from FONERWA and UNDP Rwanda visited Malawi and made presentations at a work shop which was specially organized for raising awareness and toward establishment of a climate fund.

Through the project, climate change information has been incorporated in the school curriculum and a climate change source book was also developed.  Information centres have also been established. Other results include gazetting and approval by Malawi’s parliament for the creation of a National Climate Change Fund; a roadmap for developing a revenue collection framework domestically for financing climate change initiatives.