Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL) member states should continue honouring their financial obligations in order to strengthen the institution.

These were the words of Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Anna Shiweda, while talking at the second ordinary meeting of the council of ministers of SASSCAL on Thursday in Windhoek.

She said that in order to build on the current achievements of SASSCAL, there is a need for members states to continue strengthening SASSCAL capacity and make it a more effective and efficient institution. She conceded, however, that this will only be possible if member states continue to honour their financial obligations towards the operations of the institution, even though most countries are going through challenging times due to the impact of the novel Coronavirus (COVID- 19).

‘Where possible, we should try to find room to accommodate SASSCAL, on our priority lists of programmes and projects. You will agree with me, honourable ministers, that a stronger SASSCAL will also put its member states in a better position to contribute significantly towards the realisation of the objectives of the Paris Declaration on Climate Change, and to the attainment of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, in particular the targets of Climate Action,’ said Shiweda.

She added that climate change remains a reality and it increasingly continues to be a global challenge. Given the existential threat of it on the environment and humanity as global citizens are left with no other option but to adapt to climate change and find ways to mitigate and minimize its impact on the economic and social sectors of global economies.

‘For this reason, therefore, SASSCAL is a relevant and important institution as it will assist our governments to strengthen and fine tune our policies and strategies to reduce the impact of climate change and climate variability. It is, therefore, crucial for us as Ministers of SASSCAL to continue providing adequate policy guidance and support to SASSCAL, in order to make it a robust and lead research regional and international institution in the area of climate change,’ stated Shiweda.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency