Baomiavotse Vahinala Raharinirina – UNGA Event 2020

Source: Climate Vulnerable Forum

H.E. Baomiavotse Vahinala Raharinirina, Hon. Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development of Madagascar

Climate Vulnerable Forum Leaders Event

October 7, 2020

Your Excellency Honorable Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and distinguished Prime Ministers,

Excellency the United Nations General Secretary,

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, it is my privilege to be part of this high level session on behalf of His Excellency Prime Minister Ntsay Christian of the Republic of Madagascar.

The Prime Minister has requested me to express on his behalf, and joint with the previous speakers, our thanks to the government of Bangladesh for organizing this event.

We also extend our thanks to the Secretariat of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, and to our stakeholders engaged in this initiative, especially the organizer.

Distinguished participants, Madagascar is a country with high potential for carbon sinks, due to its rich flora. We have two corridors in the eastern part of the country, and mangrove forest in the coastal areas. Unfortunately, the resources are now highly vulnerable to negative impacts of global warming.

In addition, given its geographical position in the Indian ocean basin, our country is exposed to extreme weather phenomena effects, such as high frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones; disruptions of the rainy season and rainfall deficit; the increase of the temperature; the rising of the sea level; flooding; and coastal erosion.

These phenomena make many key sectors vulnerable to the impacts of climate change; agriculture, water resources, infrastructures, which are the foundation of our economy.

To cope with these issues, Madagascar has put in place frameworks and strategic rationales including the general state policy, the Madagascar emergency plan, and the national policy to combat climate change.

Looking ahead, in compliance with the terms of the Paris Agreement, the objectives are to reduce the vulnerability of the population, to promote a resilient economy adapted to the effects of climate change.

In compliance with the terms of the Paris Agreement, we are also making substantial progress in the validation of the national adaptation action plan to fight against climate change by the Council of Ministers.

The nationally led consultation has agreed to following key priority actions to fight against climate change. [Transition interrupted…] Deforestation and forest degradation, afforestation, reforestation and landscape restoration within [Transition interrupted…] natural disasters like plants, droughts and floods within an Indian Ocean-led regional cooperation to better support preparedness and planning of adaptation action within all sectors and the country.

For its implementation, Madagascar does rely on the financial mechanisms of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. These funds are intended to support national initiatives in terms of fighting against climate change.

However, access to this fund is complex, due to the multiple investment criteria, and that may raise issues, according to the time frame to have actions effectively implemented to address our country’s needs, which become more and more urgent.

In this perspective, we make a call to further facilitate and lighten the procedure, as well as to accelerate the access of vulnerable countries to climate funds, and especially the Green Climate Fund.

Very important to highlight and putting pressure on acting more urgently is the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in a country like Madagascar. One already observed effect is the increasing pressures on natural resources through the speeding up of forest and biodiversity loss towards supporting community survival. This has in the long run an effect in fueling more the vicious cycle of poverty and [Transition interrupted] jeopardizing the Madagascar national capital.

Ladies and gentlemen, for the implementation process of the Paris Agreement, we hope that the commitment of developed countries to pay should be available from the year 2021. In this sense, the Conference of Parties 26 would be the first Conference of the Parties to implement this agreement and we support the position of the country group of Madagascar for the call for greater transparency of financial commitments from donor countries.

Excellencies, finally, allow me to thank all stakeholders presenting that forum, and I wish you a very productive forum forward.

Thank you very much for your attention.

Statement – Madagascar