Minister Abida Mia affirmed Malawi’s dedication to safeguarding and restoration of freshwater ecosystems during a significant ministerial gathering. Speaking at COP 28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, she reiterated Malawi’s commitment to preserving its current freshwater reservoirs as part of the global initiative to mitigate climate change’s impact on vulnerable ecosystems.
She assured the assembly that the nation would enhance its policy and regulatory frameworks to align with evolving global trends and goals. Furthermore, Mia capitalized on the presence of high-ranking delegates in the water sector, urging consideration for both technical expertise and financial aid to bolster Malawi’s efforts in restoring deteriorated catchment areas.
“We can’t address water challenges in isolation, and this is why I reasoned with the conference to avoid blanket solutions and ensure support for country-specific projects. In our case, illegal charcoal is a big problem and management of catchment areas can’t be divorced from cooking energy issues for example,” said Mia.
The Freshwater Challenge (FWC) is a country-led initiative, launched at the UN Water Conference in New York in March 2023 by the governments of Colombia, DR Congo, Ecuador, Gabon, Mexico and Zambia. It is part of the Water Action Agenda and under the auspices of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration.
It aims to restore 300,000 kilometres of degraded rivers and 350 million hectares of degraded wetlands by 2030 as well as conserve freshwater ecosystems. Malawi already endorsed the initiative.
