Niël Terblanché
Namibia made the world aware of its pressing need to safeguard ecosystems, ensure sustainable livelihoods, and protect future generations from the harsh impacts of climate change.
The minister of environment, forestry and tourism, Pohamba Shifeta while speaking at the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, appealed for international cooperation and decisive action to address the escalating challenges of drought, land degradation, and desertification.
“In Namibia, drought is no longer an emergency but a recurring event,” Shifeta said during the COP16 opening session.
The minister painted a sobering picture of the nation’s reality, with prolonged dry spells severely affecting agriculture, biodiversity, food security, and water availability.
He added that Namibia is well-known for its arid and semi-arid climate and told the summit that the country declared a national state of emergency due to drought this year.
Shifeta urged world leaders to back the establishment of a legally binding protocol on drought under the UNCCD framework concerning the urgency of multilateralism.
“Such a protocol would facilitate international cooperation, enabling member states to share knowledge, resources, and best practices in drought preparedness and response,” he said.
He added that a land degradation-neutral world is achievable, provided there is visionary leadership and collective action.
According to Shifeta, Namibia has made good progress in laying the groundwork for sustainable land and resource management.
He also outlined the ongoing reviews of key policies, such as the National Drought Preparedness Policy and the Forestry Act, aimed at addressing land degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change in synergy.
The minister said these efforts align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Windhoek Declaration, which emerged from Namibia’s hosting of COP11 in 2013 and the African Drought Conference in 2016.
In a separate high-level event at COP16 focused on the African Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI), Shifeta reaffirmed Namibia’s commitment to this transformative Pan-African programme.
“Restoration interventions targeting comprehensive landscape and ecosystem management approaches are a mainstay of our quest to build drought resilience, achieve land degradation neutrality, and combat desertification,” he said.
He added that Namibia’s flagship projects, such as the NILALEG Project, the BUSH biomass initiative, and the bio-economy project, demonstrate the nation’s efforts to blend sustainable land management with poverty eradication and biodiversity conservation.
A draft Great Green Wall Action Plan has also been aligned with Namibia’s Land Degradation Neutrality targets.
Shifeta stressed the importance of resource mobilisation, calling on international partners to accelerate financial and technical support for the effective implementation of the GGWI.
“The Great Green Wall Initiative is resource-intensive,” he said while urging all role players to speed up efforts to secure the necessary resources.
He stressed the need for global solidarity in safeguarding ecosystems, ensuring sustainable livelihoods, and protecting future generations from the harsh impacts of climate change.
“Everything rises and falls with leadership. Let us work together to transform challenges into opportunities for a sustainable and prosperous future,” he said.
