MALAWI UPDATING STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT
Experts agree on the scope and annotated outline of the next NSEOR and are now moving to the next steps towards developing the report which is critical for environmental decision making.
Malawi National State Of the Environment and Outlook Report Co-Chair, Dr. Zacharia Magombo.
LILONGWE (Malawi) Government of Malawi through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change is in the process of updating its National State of the Environment and Outlook Report (NSEOR) by following the Global Environment Outlook methodology.
The journey to update report started in March this year with an intensive training on Integrated Environmental Assessment organized by the Malawi Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and GRID - Arendal with financial support from Norwegian Goverment and has since held a scoping meeting where experts discussed the scope of the report to ensure that the next NSEOR provides a comprehensive assessment of the environmental landscape and challenges for Malawi.
The scoping meeting brought together environmental experts, academia, non state actors and policy makers has since agreed on the scope of the report, annotated outline and the next step will be ensuring a good selection of authors who will draft chapters of the report.
Building on the findings in the 2010 NSEOR, the updated state of the environment assessment will review the current drivers of environmental change in Malawi, the current state and trends of the environment, the effectiveness of policy responses and the outlook for the future.
Additionally, the assessment will build expertise in Malawi for maintaining and complementing data and analyses on the environment in the country. This is in line with the country’s Environmental Management Act of 2017 and the Malawi 2063 vision seventh enabler that places environmental sustainability as a key driver of positive change towards a safe, clean, secure and sustainable environment; the African Union Agenda 2063 (The Africa We Want) as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.
Meanwhile, MEPA and its partners led by Dr. Zacharia Magombo and Dr. Lucy Mtilatila, co-chairs who will be working with the experts on production of the report, have briefed the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Climate Change on NSEOR production processes and progress that has been made. Simalar briefings for Principal Secretaries from various ministries and other key stakeholders will follow.
MEPA Acting Director General, Tawonga Mbale- Luka
MEPA Acting Director General, Tawonga Mbale-Luka says engagement with the policy makers will ensure that the most policy relevant findings of the main report are brought to the attention of policymakers and allow them provide their input to NSEOR preparing process. “The Principal Secretaries are also key in facilitating access to data,” she added.
The Acting Director General, therefore, commended the Parliamentary committee on Natural Resources and Climate Change for their keen interest in environmental matters and appealed for their support in ensuring that the country has an updated NSEOR that feeds into the plans and strategies for environmental management in the Southern African country.
“We look forward to your support in ensuring an updated, scientifically credible report is prepared for the people of Malawi,” she told members of the Parliamentary committee.
Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Climate Change Chairperson, Werani Chilenga commended MEPA and its collaborating partners for the decision to involve the committee at the ouset as it enlightened them on the processes and challenges encountered when preparing the report.
Prior to meeting the Parliamentarians, there was an interface with environmental journalists to brief them on the NSEOR processes, lobby for their support in engaging the citizenry on understanding the importance of the report and inspire the populace to take more sustainable ways of managing the environment and natural resources in Malawi.
In her remarks the Head of Disasters & Conflicts Branch at United Nations Environment Programme Cecilia Aipira, emphasized the important role the media can play in the protection of the environment.
UNEP Head of Disasters & Conflicts, Cecilia Aipira
Malawi Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Climate Change, Werani Chilenga