Eswatini pleads for Taiwan participation under Paris Agreement

MBABANE – Eswatini pleaded on behalf of Taiwan to be afforded an opportunity to participate in global mechanisms, negotiations and activities that promote the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

The above message was communicated by the Prime Minister Cleopas Sipho Dlamini during the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Dlamini was representing His Majesty King Mswati III.

He said as the conference of the parties (COP) called for the world to collectively respond to the climate change challenge, Eswatini noted that, for purely political reasons, Taiwan’s participation in the UNFCCC was restricted to the very limited quota of an NGO and it was still being denied the opportunity to submit its ambitious NDCs to the UNFCCC Secretariat.

Spirit

This, he said, contradicted the spirit of the second UN principle of leaving no one behind.

According to the PM, responding to climate change required solidarity and courage. He said Taiwan exhorted all parties to look beyond political considerations and support Taiwan’s professional, pragmatic, and meaningful participation in the UNFCCC. “We, therefore, register our call for Taiwan help do its part in the global fight against climate change.”

Meanwhile, the PM stated that the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report showed that 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming was likely to occur and Eswatini together with all of Southern Africa warms at twice the global rate.

He said this was happening amid the extreme weather conditions already experienced such as heatwaves, floods and droughts. “The warnings are clear that these events will dramatically increase in intensity and frequency over the coming years,” said the PM.

Dlamini stated that the livelihoods of emaSwati depended heavily on agriculture, which suffered the drastic effects of Cyclone Eloise. Such extreme weather patterns, he said, resulted in a dramatic decline in agricultural production.

However, he mentioned that despite the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Eswatini was taking a bold action to address climate change, with significant national resources being allocated to adaptation and mitigation actions in a balanced approach.

The PM said the country understood the urgency of climate action and has adopted policies and programmes such as the National Climate Change Policy, National Development Strategy and the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Strategy, which incorporate robust climate action.

Further, he said the country had pledged to considerably raise investment and access to renewable energy to the population by increasing the share of renewable energy by 50 per cent in the electricity mix by 2030 relative to 2010 levels through the adoption of solar, wind, biomass, hydro, and solar water heater technologies.