Photo by Random Institute
Author: John R. Turyakira
October is dubbed the United Nations (UN) month and globally several humanitarian activities are undertaken to commemorate the UN anniversary.
The UN was formed in 1945 by the UN Charter after World War II to promote world peace, human rights, and Sustainable Development. Indeed, in the last 77 years, the UN has worked for peace, dignity, equality, and a healthy planet.
In 2015, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as Agenda 2030 aiming at Transforming our World by Leaving No one behind. The SDGs replaced the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which ran from 2000 to 2015.
While MDGs aimed at reducing global poverty by half, SDGs target to end poverty in all forms by 2030. There are 17 SDGs, 169 Targets, and 232 global indicators of which 201 indicators apply to Uganda. The most popular is SDG 13; Combating climate change. Climate change is one of the leading challenges of our times. The world is more united than ever to confront this crisis.
According to Climate Science, climate change is not only a threat to humanity but the entire biodiversity. Because of global warming, the latest studies estimate that more than 200,000 biological species are at risk of extinction, especially microorganisms.
Many people, especially youth across the globe, have spoken out loudly through climate strikes about the need to combat climate change. World leaders in an unprecedented way have taken radical steps to respond to climate change and salvage the future of the only planet we all call home.
In 2016, we witnessed the historic signing of the Paris Climate Agreement by over 190 countries. The Paris Agreement gives effect to the Kyoto protocol and the United Framework Convention on Climate Change under which the Climate Conference of Parties (COPs) are organized annually.
This year’s COP27 will take place in Egypt, taking stock of mitigation and adaptation efforts. Key in the global climate discussion is the energy transition towards clean and renewable energy. The other critical issue is loss and damage which informs the climate justice agitations from the Global South about climate financing.
To domesticate the Paris Agreement, Uganda was among the first countries to legislate a National Climate Change Act that was signed into Law in 2021 by the President. Although still waiting for a Statutory Instrument from the Minister of Water and Environment for its commencement, the Act introduces very progressive provisions for fight against climate change.
The Paris Agreement introduced a requirement for each Country to submit Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) which are voluntary national commitments and ambitions toward combating climate change. Uganda through the Climate Change Department has submitted the updated NDCs on key priority areas of agriculture, forestry, water, infrastructure, energy, health, and risk management particularly in urban areas.
However, Uganda’s forest cover has been declining from 24 percent in 1990 to about 8 percent by 2020, according to the National Forest Authority. To avert the issue, it is recommended that the government develops strategic partnerships with various stakeholders and also develop a collaborative and integrated approach to not leaving anyone behind in the fight against climate change.
The government should integrate SDGs and climate change sensitisation programmes in its popular Parish Development Model to ensure disaster risk reduction at the community level. Lastly, young people should be harnessed in all strategic climate change efforts as they are an asset, not a threat!
The writer, John R. Turyakira is an environment activist.
