By Awa Macalo
The Minister of Environment, Climate Change & Natural Resources has launched The Gambia’s long-term climate change strategy to plan for achieving low-carbon, climate resilient societies out to 2050. This is going to help set a framework to mitigate the hazardous climate change effects.
It is also part of efforts to put long term goals of the Paris Agreement into practice.
The Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources, Lamin B. Dibba, stated that sectoral performance and success are determined by the plans and strategies established by the ministries in charge of the sector. “Similarly, my Ministry, which is in charge of climate change, believes that having credible and effective policies in place to advance the climate change agenda is crucial and fundamental.”
The Gambia, he said, developed its Climate Change Vision 2050 in response to the UNFCCC’s invitation in decision 1/CP 21, paragraph 35, which invites Parties to communicate mid-century, long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies to the secretariat by 2020, in accordance with Article 4, paragraph 19, of the Agreement.
“There is an urgent need for a strategy to guide the implementation of our vision’s long-term aim, thus the significance of the process we are commencing today cannot be overstated. Long-term policies clearly play a critical role in the transition to net-zero emissions and climate resilient economies.
The strategy is intended to include long-term climate and energy goals.”
Alhagie Fadera, director of planning MOFEA, said both ministers started the process, and technicians from both ministries were part of the core team that directed and supported the vision’s development. “This cross-sector collaboration contributed in the sequencing of various ministries’ policies, as well as the choice to link the climate vision’s timetable with the planned long-term national development plan, Vision 2050. These cooperation and alignments are critical steps toward a more coordinated implementation of the Paris Agreement, setting the framework for whole-of-government approaches to solving the country’s climate challenge. Furthermore, this will aid in the full integration of climate change into the country’s policies and objectives, better supporting the needs, priorities, and adaptive capacities of the most vulnerable groups.”
Momodou Mbye Jabang, permanent secretary, MECCNAR, said in order to put the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement into practice, countries are invited to formulate and communicate by 2020 “long-term, low greenhouse gas emission development strategies” (LT-LEDS), also referred to as Long Term Strategies (LTS) – visionary plans for achieving low-carbon, climate-resilient societies out to 2050, accompanied with a strategy for its implementation.
“This long-term strategy we announce today, encompasses a very broad and extensive range of measures which incorporates Gambia’s vision of sustainable development and the steps we must take to implement it through Climate Action.
In pursuing this and other ambitious goals, I believe we have the greatest assets in the wisdom, creativity, and enterprise of our people. The Plan intends to go beyond the government to draw upon these assets.”
