TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO
The Ministry Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry will next month set up three youth desks to give voices for young people, a Cabinet minister has said.
The desks will be for tourism and hospitality, environment and climate change, Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry minister Nqobizitha Ndlovu said last week.
He made the remarks at the handover of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Youth Policy Brief to the Ministry, in Bulawayo.
“It was the Cabinet’s decision that every ministry should have a youth desk. For our ministry we have decided to set up three youth desks, one for the tourism and hospitality industry, the second one for the environment and the third for climate change and meteorological services. By the end of October, we want to make sure that the desks have been set up,” Ndhlovu said.
He commended the youth for their hard work.
“It’s been a long journey and you have shown determination.
It was not an easy process and you undertook this under very difficult circumstances.
“Climate change is now inevitable, actions must be taken that help our people to adapt and become more resilient. I urge youths to work with the Government in the implementation of the country’s revised NDC,” Ndlovu said.
He said Zimbabwe’s commitment to tackle climate change was unquestionable having been part of the global efforts from as early as 1992, when countries assembled and endorsed the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Ndhlovu expressed gratitude to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Climate Promise Initiative for funding the nationwide youth consultations, all youths who contributed to the Policy Brief and all Government officials who were involved in the entire process.
“Importantly, the government launched the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) which outlines policy and strategic direction beginning this year, 2021 up to 2025.
“The NDS1 has a pillar that focuses on climatic change issues among other environmental and natural resource management issues, incorporating the revised NDCs,” he said.
A number of youths have started some businesses in the sector but some have found it tough to compete with well-established companies and operators.
A number have folded while some end up providing informal services where they solicit for clients on the streets using unorthodox methods as they struggle to raise licence fees required to register with either the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority or the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority whose mandate is to regulate and register operators.
UNDP resident representative officer-in-charge, Madelena Monoja said the development of the Youth Policy Brief as part of the NDC revision process came at an important time.
She said the Sixth Assessment Report of the United Nations Inter governmental Panel on Climate Change notes with concern that “Global warming of 1.5°C and 2°C will be exceeded during the 21st
century unless deep reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions occur in the coming decades”.
“This action cannot be attained by governments and the private sector alone; importantly the role of youths in the agenda 2030 cannot be understated. This therefore, calls for a deliberate move to hear the
voices and recommendations from the youth bulge so that no one is left behind,” Monoja said.
African Youth Initiative on Climate Change Zimbabwe Chapter programmes manager Elizabeth Gulugulu said more than half of the first NDCs failed to mention children and youths as critical stakeholders yet they are among the most impacted, hence the reason they were included this time around. She said African NDCs need the innovation, energy and competence
of young people who can advocate policies that do not contradict with the objectives of protecting the environment.
