November 2011, Lilongwe, Malawi – Malawi is among the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change which is impacting key sectors in the country and may hamper the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

UNITAR and UNDP organized a three days Training Workshop on Climate Change Diplomacy in Malawi, to prepare the Malawi delegation to effectively engage in the upcoming Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Climate Convention, due to take place in Durban from the 28 November to 9 December 2011.

Mr. Richard Dictus, UNDP Resident Representative and UN Resident Coordinator in his opening remarks at the workshop  stated  that, “Building on the combined strength of the UN family, and taking into account that Malawi is heavily dependent on natural resources, UNDP is emphasizing the importance of a meaningful outcome of COP 17 and supporting Malawi ‘s fight against climate change.”

The workshop held from the 15 to 17 November in Lilongwe, presented an opportunity for the 40 delegates from Malawi, to share and exchange knowledge and to strengthen their negotiating capacity in preparation for COP 17 and to further consolidate the Malawi position.

“The knowledge sharing and exchange during the workshop cleared grey areas and increased the levels of understanding, and this contributed to making the workshop robust” said a Delegate participating in the workshop.

UNITAR’s Climate Change Programme has since 1994 supported countries to participate in the UNFCCC process and address the adverse effects of climate change and remains committed to supporting countries address climate change impacts. Mr. Mamadou Moussa Diakhité, Manager of the UNITAR Climate Change Programme said that these workshops were effective for addressing immediate learning objectives but emphasized the need of continuity as a prerequisite for capacity development.

This event was also an opportunity to present the UN CC:Learn pilot project in Malawi which seeks to strengthen human resource capacity and skills to address climate change.

The Workshop was also co-organized by the Government of Malawi with support from Norway and Japan.

For more information contact ccp@unitar.org

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