UN Sec Gen Impressed With Botswana’s Climate Change Efforts  – Botswana Gazette

• Confirms attendance of 3rd UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) slated for December in Gaborone

BONGANI MALUNGA 

The Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) Antonio Guterres expressed satisfaction with Botswana’s climate change efforts after holding talks with President Mokgweetsi Masisi on the margins of the 79th UN General Assembly (UNGA79) in New York, USA this week.

Accelerating

Botswana is counted among countries that have accelerated the call for more investment in renewable energy production by 2030. The country has adopted biogas and solar energy production at small and large scale levels to reduce reliance on fossil-based energy production that harms the environment.

The commitment to cutting carbon emissions has drawn praise from officials from the UN and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) this year.

Impressed 

According to correspondence from a UN press brief released on Monday, Guterres welcomed the country’s efforts to adhere to global climate change practices.

“The Secretary General welcomed Botswana’s strong support for key issues such as the Sustainable Development Goals, climate change and challenges faced by Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs),” the UN media brief stated.

Update

President Masisi took the opportunity to give the UN Secretary General an update on Botswana’s preparations for the third edition of the UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) that is slated for 10-13 December in Gaborone.

Guterres confirmed his availability for the conference, saying stated that he is looking forward to the event.

More talks 

President Masisi also held sideline talks with the European Union’s Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, at the UN Assembly. The two the upcoming UN LLDC Conference in Gaborone and touched on other subjects of common interest. The Gaborone conference is expected to attract up to 4000 delegates.

Botswana will become the first-ever African country to host the event. The first edition of the conference was held in 2003 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The Austrian capital, Vienna, was the venue for the second conference in 2014.

The conference was established to provide an international platform for countries lacking direct access to the sea. With no coastal or seaports, the countries often use transit countries, which often results in high expenditure and potential delays.

Landlocked countries’ foreign direct investment fortunes are often limited as neighbouring countries act as auxiliary “go-betweens” in trade talks.

The LLDCs are made up of 16 African countries, 12 Asian nations, two European countries and two South American countries.

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