Enhancing access and participation in climate change policy development and implementation

About the project

Malawi continues to be affected by climate-related disasters. These are affecting ecosystems and people’s livelihoods, leading to loss of lives and property. However, policies aimed at addressing climate change in Malawi have not been implemented. There is little involvement by district-level CSOs, community structures and local leaders in climate change activities due to a lack of knowledge. Stakeholders that are key in supporting the implementation of climate change-related policies in rural communities are unaware of the policies aimed at guiding adaptation and mitigation efforts.

The Civil Society Network on Climate change will work with partners Development Aid from People to People (DAPP) Malawi to support the Government of Malawi to track implementation of climate policies, frameworks and plans at national and district level. It will also build capacity district and community level civil society organization, local leaders, and community organizations to understand and implement the policies through strengthening, establishment and organization district civil society networks on climate change.

This will be achieved through:

• Providing platforms for engagement and dissemination of policy provisions through engagement meetings and radio programmes. These will target Government officials, CSOs, media and community members who are key in dissemination and implementation of the frameworks.
• Building the capacity of CSOs through training and advocacy workshops organised at a national level by CISONECC and DAPP Malawi, which will influence policy implementation.
• Intensify resource mobilization for climate change programs, engaging government to increase climate financing as well as lobbying for the operationalization of the Climate Change Fund.
• Establish and train six district civil society networks on climate change. CSOs will ably engage government at all levels to lobby for implementation of climate change commitments including approval of DRM bill in parliament and operationalization of the Malawi national climate change management fund.
• Lobby meetings for securing domestic climate finance from Government These will target Ministries of Finance; Ministry of Economic Planning and Development; the Ministry of Forestry and Natural Resources as well as Parliamentarians who are key in ensuring checks and balances in both Government commitments and national goals. This will be done to increase funding allocation for the environment and climate change sector.
• Conducting interface and lobby meetings with the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) and Parliamentarians to ensure support and successful enactment of the DRM Bill.
• Through DAPP Malawi, the project will pilot an adaptation action for 18 months in one TA exclusively following the national policies and plans.
• In the pilot adaptation and mitigation project in one Traditional Authority (T/A) will target 1000 individuals of which 70% of them will be females in decision-making positions.
• Working with a gender coordination network to incorporate gender issues.
• Develop instruments such as Climate Change Funds, Disaster Risk Management Acts, National Adaptation Plans (NAP) with views from the people, as they have the potential to support the country in becoming a climate resilient nation.

This will result in increased awareness by civil society organizations of climate change impacts, adaptation and mitigation measures in Malawi; improved and enhanced capacity of civil society organizations to implement climate change-related policies in six districts of Malawi; increased livelihood and crop production for 1000 smallholder farmers in 1 Traditional Authority and finalization and dissemination of national adaptation plans for Malawi.