Malawi has called for significantly increased, predictable and simplified access to climate finance to help Least Developed Countries (LDCs) confront the growing impacts of climate change and protect their development gains.
Speaking at a High-Level Dialogue on “Addressing Climate Change and Building Resilience” during the Africa Regional Ministerial Mid-Term Review of the Doha Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries in Addis Ababa, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. George Chaponda, told said climate change is already affecting lives, livelihoods and Malawi’s development trajectory.
Dr. Chaponda highlighted the devastating effects of recurring floods, droughts and tropical cyclones, citing Tropical Cyclone Freddy in 2023 and the recent El Niño-induced drought as examples of the vulnerability of Malawi’s predominantly rain-fed agricultural system.
He outlined Malawi’s efforts to strengthen resilience, including the enactment of the Disaster Risk Management Act in 2023, promotion of climate-smart agriculture, irrigation, improved water management, watershed restoration, resilient infrastructure and enhanced climate information services.
The Minister also highlighted progress in early warning and anticipatory action, noting that Malawi is strengthening meteorological observation, climate forecasting and community-level dissemination of climate information under the Early Warnings for All initiative. He further disclosed that climate micro-insurance has reached more than 200,000 farmers, providing an additional layer of protection against climate shocks.
However, Dr. Chaponda stressed that the scale of the climate challenge continues to exceed Malawi’s domestic capacity. He therefore called for greater access to predictable, grant-based and highly concessional climate finance, particularly for adaptation, warning that climate action must not become another source of unsustainable debt for vulnerable countries.
He further urged greater investment in early warning systems, irrigation, resilient infrastructure, ecosystem restoration, climate-smart agriculture and locally led adaptation, while calling for international climate finance mechanisms, including those addressing loss and damage, to deliver resources at the speed and scale required by vulnerable countries.
Dr. Chaponda said Malawi attaches particular importance to the Resilience Building Mechanism under Priority Area 5 of the Doha Programme of Action, urging that it be strengthened into an effective instrument capable of helping LDCs translate resilience priorities into investable programmes and access finance, technology and technical expertise.
He emphasized that building climate resilience is not merely an environmental objective for LDCs, but fundamental to protecting lives, securing food and livelihoods, preserving development gains and achieving sustainable and irreversible graduation from LDC status.
“Our ambition must now be matched by international support at the scale and speed demanded by the climate crisis.”
The Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries (DPoA) 2022–2031 is the principal international framework for addressing the structural challenges of the world’s Least Developed countries (LDCs) during the current decade
