SPEECH BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER FOR NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, DELIVERED ON THE 23RD NOVEMBER 2012 AT HAPPY VALLEY HOTEL
PROJECT LAUNCH: ADAPTING NATIONAL AND TRANSBOUNDARY WATER RESOUCES MANAGEMENT TO MANAGE THE EXPECTED IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECT
PROGRAMME DIRECTOR
UNITED NATIONS REPRESENTATIVES
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACILITY
REPRESENTATIVES
GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES REPRESENTATIVES
NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
REPRESENTATIVES
COMMUNITY MEMBERS
MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
I AM GREATLY HONOURED TO HAVE BEEN INVITED TO THIS AUSPICIOUS OCCASION OF LAUNCHING THE PROJECT ON ADAPTING NATIONAL AND TRANSBOUNDARY WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND TO MANAGE THE EXPECTED IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE. WATER RESOURCES BY AND LARGE PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN THE ENTIRE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROCESS GLOBALLY AND SWAZILAND IS NO EXCEPTION. OUR ECONOMY IS MAINLY AGRICULTURALLY BASED AND VASTLY DEPENDS ON THE AVAILABLE WATER RESOURCES. MANY OTHER SECTORS DEPEND ON WATER AVAILABILITY FOR THEIR PROPER FUNCTIONING. A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF WATER IS UTILISED FOR HYDRO-POWER GENERATION, INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT, HOUSEHOLD DOMESTIC PURPOSES. A MAJORITY OF SWAZI FARMERS ARE SUBSISTENCE FARMERS HENCE THEY HEAVILY DEPEND ON THE ERRATIC RAINFALL FOR THEIR FOOD PRODUCTION AND SURVIVAL.
DISTINGUISHED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
THE KINGDOM IS HIGHLY COMMITTED TO MEETING ALL THE 2015 MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGS) SET BY THE UNITED NATIONS WITHIN THE STIPULATED TIMEFRAME. THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND HAS THEREFORE PRIORITISED THE ERADICATION OF EXTREME POVERTY AND HUNGER AS PART OF HER DEVELOPMENT FOCUS. IN THIS REGARD, WATER RESOURCES AVAILABILITY IS TAKING A CENTRE STAGE TO ENSURE THAT THE KINGDOM IS FOOD SECURED AND WE ARE ABLE TO MEET THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS CLEARLY ARTICULATED IN OUR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY AND INTERNATIONAL CHARTERS.
BEING A LAND-LOCKED COUNTRY, THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND SHARES SOME OF HER WATER RESOURCES WITH THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA AND THE PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUE. KEY TO MEETING THE NEEDS FOR EACH GOVERNMENT IS TO ESTABLISH MECHANISMS THAT WILL UPHOLD HARMONY AND LEAD TO INFORMED DECISION-MAKING AS WE CONTINUE WORKING TOGETHER. THE GOVERNMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND IS MAKING A CONCERTED EFFORT TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF THE SWAZI PEOPLE BY ENSURING ACCESS TO WATER AT COMMUNITY LEVELS. PROJECTS SUCH AS THE KOMATI DOWNSTREAM DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (KDDP) AND LOWER USUTU SMALLHOLDER IRRIGATION PROJECT (LUSIP) ARE ALL EVIDENCE TO THIS. THE KINGDOM HAS NOT ONLY REALIZED INCREASE OF ACCESS TO WATER IN THESE AREAS BUT ALSO IMPROVED SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS FROM THE HOUSEHOLDS LOCATED IN THESE AREAS.
DISTINGUISHED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
ONE OF THE BIGGEST EMERGING ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS FACING HUMANITY IS THE GLOBAL CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CHANGE. EVEN THOUGH OUR CONTRIBUTION AS A NATION TO THIS PROBLEM IS VERY MINUTE, THE EFFECTS OF THIS CATASTROPHY ARE VERY MAMMOTH ON US. THE OVERALL GLOBAL WARMING IS STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE FREQUENT AND PROLONGED DROUGHTS, THE RESULTANT HIGH TEMPERATURES AND FLOODING EVENTS, THAT WE ARE ALREADY OBSERVING. OVER THE YEARS, THE DAMAGE HAS BEEN EXACERBATED BY THE INDUSTRIALISATION OF THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. NOTED IS THAT, IT WILL TAKE A LONG-TIME TO RESTORE THE ECOSYSTEMS BACK TO THE PREVIOUS CONDITIONS IF EVER.WE EXPLICITLY NEED AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO DEAL WITH THESE COMPLEX CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES AS GOVERNMENTS IN ORDER TO BRING SOME EQUILIBRIUM TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
THIS PUTS A HEAVY BURDEN ON THE VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES AS THEY HAVE TO ADAPT TO THIS CHANGING ENVIRONMENT. SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACED BY THE VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES ARE POVERTY, LACK OF ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOOD OPTIONS AND LIMITED KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE.
HIS MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT APPLAUDS IN APPRECIATION THE EFFORTS OF OUR DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS, IN PARTICULAR, OUR HEATFELT GRATITUDE GOES TO THE UNDP AND THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACILITY FOR THE CONTINUED SUPPORT AND ROLE THEY HAVE RENDERED TO THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND NOT ONLY TO THIS PROJECT BY RAISING THE E15 MILLION (US$1.87 MILLION) BUT TO OTHER SIGNIFICANT INTERVENTIONS, SUCH AS THE LUSIP PROJECT. THE ROLE MANIFESTED BY THESE PARTNERS IN THE ECONOMIC AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT OF THE KINGDOM IS EVIDENT AND WE WISH TO COMMEND THEM MOST GRACIOUSLY.
IN THE ADVENT OF CLIMATE CHANGE, NECESSARY STEPS GOING FORWARD WILL REQUIRE MORE COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH AND CONSENSUS AT NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVELS. NATIONAL DIALOGUES WILL BE REQUIRED TO ADDRESS THE IMPACTS IN A TRANS-BOUNDARY MANNER, INVOLVING OUR NEIGHBOURS, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA AND THE PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUE. AWARENESS ON KEY ISSUES REMAINS PROMINENT AS DIFFERENT PEOPLE ASSOCIATE CLIMATE CHANGE TO DIFFERENT BELIEFS. THERE IS ALSO A NEED TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES TO ENSURE THAT THE POOR AND VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES ADAPT TO THE CHANGING CLIMATE. WE NEED TO PROVIDE AND DEVELOP ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF INCOME AND ALSO LIVELIHOOD OPTIONS ADAPTABLE TO CLIMATE CHANGE. ALL THE PERTINENT ISSUES I HAVE JUST MENTIONED ARE PART OF THE PROJECT THAT WE ARE LAUNCHING TODAY, HOWEVER THESE CAN ONLY BE REALIZED BY YOUR CONCERTED EFFORTS AS A SWAZI NATION.
IN CONCLUSION, AS THE MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCE AND ENERGY, WE WILL ENDEAVOUR TO CONTINUE AND ENSURE TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND EFFICIENCY AS WE IMPLEMENT THIS PROJECT FROM TODAY UNTIL 2016. AS WE LAUNCH THE PROJECT I WISH TO URGE AND ENCOURAGE COLLABORATIVE PARTICIPATION OF ALL STAKEHOLDERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PROJECT’S GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ARE ADEQUATELY MET. WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO WITH RESPECT TO THE SUBJECT OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND I THEREFORE LOOK FORWARD TO FRUITFUL RESULTS TO COME BY IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
WITH THESE FEW REMARKS IT IS MY SINGULAR HONOUR AND PLEASURE TO DECLARE THE PROJECT ON ADAPTING NATIONAL AND TRANS-BOUNDARY WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND TO MANAGE THE EXPECTED IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE, OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED.
“I THANK YOU, MAY GOD THE ALMIGHTY BLESS US ALL”.