Govt commits sh237b to climate change

The government has earmarked £50m (about sh237.7b) to mitigate climate change in 12 districts.

The pilot districts include Yumbe, Rakai, Pakwach, Pader, Ntungamo, Ngora, Lwengo, Kibaale, Kalungu, Kalaki and Kaabong.

The districts were selected on the basis of water management zones such as Kyoga, Albert, Upper Nile and Victoria.

Uganda is one of the six front-runner countries that will implement the pilot phase of the Least Developed Countries Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience, (LIFE-AR) initiative alongside other African countries such as Ethiopia, Malawi, Bhutan, Burkina Faso and Gambia.

The commissioner for water and environment sector liaison at the water ministry, Joseph Ebitu, said: “Currently, the UK has given us £2m. Besides that, they have given an additional £10m over the next 10 years.

The Irish government has given euro 1m, but they have committed to put more money into the programme based on how the pilot districts perform. USAID has also committed $3.5m to the programme.”

He made the remarks during the launch of the LIFE-AR programme held at the Water ministry headquarters in Luzira on Wednesday.

The initiative aims at building in-country least developed countries’ institutions, capabilities and systems to deliver climate resilience over the long term in line with country priorities.

The selected districts are Yumbe, Rakai, Pader, Ntungamo, Ngora, Lwengo, Kibaale, Kalungu, Kalaki and Kaabong.

The 10-year programme (2020/2030) will strengthen the capacity of local governments and communities to prepare and implement viable projects for climate resilience.

According to Ebitu, this initiative is focused on strengthening the capacity of least developed countries to be able to identify their climate change adaptation priorities, mobilise resources and also be able to manage their climate change solution.

Ebitu noted: “The current international system for financing the necessary adaptation to climate risks is not working. Only 18% of global climate finance reaches LDCs, and just 10% reaches the local level where impacts of climate change are most keenly felt, especially by the poorest and most vulnerable.”

“Over the years, there has been continuous degradation of the environment and natural resources mainly because of human activities resulting in a decline in the quality of the environment and natural resources,” the state minister for environment, Beatrice Anywar, said.

Finance minister Matia Kasaija said the programme fits well in the aspirations of the Government to deliver on the objectives of the National Development Plan, (NDP) III, Vision 2040 and the National Resistance Movement’s (NRM)  manifesto.

Kasaija said Uganda has experienced changes in temperature and precipitation with the increase in frequency and intensity of floods, droughts, landslides, rising temperatures and erratic rainfall. This not only impacts the key functioning of ecosystems, disrupting integrity, but also social and economic development.

“The LIFE-AR programme will complement the efforts of the Government by building the capacity of both central and local government to implement not only the decentralised climate finance mechanism, but also the Parish Development Model,” Kasaija said.

To strengthen climate resilience, the Growth, Prosperity and Climate change Team leader for the British High Commission in Uganda, Jordan Martindale, said it is vital to coordinate across different initiatives such as different financing sources.