United Nations Development Programme REMARKS DELIVERED BY LIONEL LAURENS UNDP RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE AT GREEN INVESTMENT CONFERENCE 22nd and 23rd September 2022 RADISSON BLU

MINISTER OF GREEN ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT – Hon. Eng. Collins Nzovu, MP

United Nations Development Programme

REMARKS DELIVERED BY

LIONEL LAURENS
UNDP RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE
AT
GREEN INVESTMENT CONFERENCE
22nd and 23rd September 2022

RADISSON BLU

GUEST OF HONOR HON. COLLINS NZOVU – MINISTER OF GREEN ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT
SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS PRESENT
COLLEAGUES FROM THE UN HERE PRESENT
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
1. INTRODUCTION
IT IS MY HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO JOIN YOU HERE TODAY FOR THE OPENING OF THE GREEN INVESTMENT CONFERENCE.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS CONFERENCE IS TO CREATE A PLATFORM FOR INTERACTION AMONG POLICY MAKERS, TECHNICAL EXPERTS, THE CSO/NGOS, THE PRIVATE SECTOR, FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND ACADEMIA WITH THE AIM OF STIMULATING INTEREST IN GREEN INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE POST-PANDEMIC, ECONOMIC RECOVERY THAT SHOULD BE BASED ON GREEN PRINCIPLES.

HONORABLE MINISTER.
A GREEN GROWTH PATHWAY IS A CHALLENGE BUT ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY. THERE IS GROWING EVIDENCE THAT THERE IS A DYNAMIC CHANGE IN THE ATTITUDES OF THE MASSES TOWARDS GREEN LIFESTYLE GLOBALLY AND AS SUCH, THERE IS AN INCREASE IN MARKET COMPETITION TO EXPLOIT THE POTENTIAL IN THE GREEN MARKET SECTOR. THAT MEANS THE PRODUCERS SUCH AS MANUFACTURERS NEED TO MAKE DECISIONS TO INVEST IN GREEN TECHNOLOGY AND REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS WHILE ATTRACTING MORE GREEN CONSUMERS, WHO ARE WILLING TO PAY A PREMIUM FOR GREEN PRODUCTS. SERVICE PROVIDERS CAN ASO EXPLOIT THE NICHE FOR PROVISION OF SERVICES THAT ARE CARBON NEUTRAL AND PROMOTE RESILIENCE. THIS GREEN INVESTMENT CONFERENCE IS THEREFORE AN IMPORTANT STEP IN ADVOCACY TOWARDS MAKING AN ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR PRIVATE SECTOR, POLICY MAKERS AND SOCIETY AT LARGE TO JOIN THE GLOBAL MOVEMENT TO MAKING GREENER PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION DECISIONS.

GREEN INVESTMENTS ARE A CORNERSTONE OF ACTION IN ACTUALIZING UN SDG GOAL 12 (WHICH ENCOURAGES MORE SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION PATTERNS THROUGH VARIOUS MEASURES, INCLUDING SPECIFIC POLICIES AND INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS ON THE MANAGEMENT OF MATERIALS THAT ARE TOXIC TO THE ENVIRONMENT) AND SDG GOAL 13 (WHICH AIMS TO STRENGTHEN RESILIENCE TO MITIGATION AND ADAPTATIVE CAPACITY, INTEGRATE CLIMATE CHANGE MEASURES INTO POLICY AND PLANNING AND BUILD CAPACITY MANDATES EVERYONE TO PROMOTE INVESTMENTS IN ZERO-CARBON PATHWAYS). AS YOU ARE AWARE ZAMBIA IN ADDRESSING THE CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGE SIGNED THE UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE CONVENTION ON 11 JUNE 1992 AND RATIFIED IT ON 28 MAY 1993 AND ITS PARIS AGREEMENT IN 2015, AGENDA 2030 AND THE SENDAI FRAMEWORK FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION WITH A PLEDGE TO CREATE AN INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT APPROACH TO FOSTER INCLUSIVE, RISK INFORMED, CARBON NEUTRAL AND A RESILIENT ECONOMY BY 2100.

ALONG WITH THE OPPORTUNITY AND MOMENT CREATED BY THE PARIS AGREEMENT COMES THE SIGNATURE INTENDED NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTIONS (INDCS) THAT ARE A TRANSFORMATIVE VEHICLE TOWARDS TANGIBLE NATIONAL ACTIONS THAT SHOULD LEAD TO LONG TERM, ZERO-CARBON AND CLIMATE-RESILIENT DEVELOPMENT. AS EVIDENT IN THE SUBMITTED REVISED NDCS, MOST DEVELOPING COUNTIES NEED SUSTAINABLE FINANCIAL, CAPACITY BUILDING AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO IMPLEMENT ENHANCED CLIMATE ACTION

HONORABLE MINISTER, DISTINGUISHED GUESTS.
AS YOU ARE AWARE THE UNDP HAS BEEN SUPPORTING GOVERNMENT UNDER THE INITIATIVE NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTION (NDC) SUPPORT PROGRAMME WHOSE OVERARCHING TARGET IS TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND ENSURE THAT GLOBAL TEMPERATURES DON’T RISE MORE THAN 2C ABOVE PRE-INDUSTRIAL LEVELS THIS CENTURY, AND ULTIMATELY PURSUE A SCENARIO WHERE TEMPERATURE RISE REMAINS BELOW 1.5C. SPECIFICALLY, THE PROGRAMME IS BUILT ON UNDP’S EXTENSIVE FOUNDATIONAL WORK SUPPORTING LOW-EMISSION DEVELOPMENT TO HELP THEM DELIVER ON THE COMMITMENT OUTLINED IN THE NDCS AND, THROUGH THIS, ON THE PARIS AGREEMENT AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGS).

THE NDC SP HAS SUPPORTED GOVERNMENT IN REALIZING THE SEVERAL IMPORTANT MILESTONES INCLUDING:
A) THE REVISED AND UPDATING OF NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTION (NDC) REPORT FOR ZAMBIA
B) COUNTRY-WIDE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT AND RISK PROJECTION
C) SHORT, MEDIUM AND LONG-TERM INDICATORS FOR REPORTING ON ADAPTATION ACTIONS, SUPPORT AND RESULTS”.
D) MEASURING REPORTING AND VERIFICATION (MRV) SYSTEM
THE PROJECT IS CURRENTLY SUPPORTING GOVERNMENT IN PREPARING THE NDC FINANCE STRATEGY AND INVESTMENT PLAN.

WITH THESE CONTRIBUTIONS AMONG MANY OTHERS, ZAMBIA IS NOW ABLE TO ESTIMATE THE AMOUNT OF GREENHOUSE GAS (GHG) EMISSIONS REDUCED BY A SPECIFIC MITIGATION ACTIVITY, SUCH AS REDUCING EMISSIONS FROM DEFORESTATION AND FOREST DEGRADATION, OVER A PERIOD OF TIME AND REPORT THESE FINDINGS TO AN ACCREDITED THIRD PARTY. BY SHOWING PROGRESS TOWARDS THE CLIMATE GOALS THIS IS THE CARDINAL KEY TO UNLOCKING CLIMATE FINANCING.

HONORABLE MINISTER, DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
IN CLOSING, I AM VERY CONFIDENT THAT THE EXCHANGES, IDEAS AND RESOLUTIONS FROM THIS CONFERENCE WILL GO A LONG WAY IN MAPPING A WAY FORWARD FOR ACTUALIZING GREEN GROWTH THROUGH GREEN INVESTMENTS INCLUDING ON THE COMMODIFICATION OF CARBON STOCKS AND PROMOTION OF ZAMBIA’S PARTICIPATION IN THE CARBON MARKETS FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.

I WISH YOU ALL A VERY SUCCESSFUL CONFERENCE
THANK YOU