PRESIDENT MNANGAGWA WOWS COP26 AUDIENCE IN GLASGOW WITH A 10 PARAGRAPH SPEECH
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By Taonga Botolo
10 paragraphs delivered with vigour, vitality, boldness and composure from none other than son of the Zimbabwe soil His Excellency Dr. Emmerson Mnangagwa, were all that took to impress the much anticipating audience at the ongoing Conference of Parties (CoP26) in Glasgow, Scotland.
President Mnangagwa is leading Zimbabwe delegation to the summit.
He becomes first Zimbabwe President to visit United Kingdom in 30 years.
In his address to the over 25 000 delegates attending the summit, President Mnangagwa thanked the UK Government for extending the invitation to the people and government of Zimbabwe.
The President told the gathering “Zimbabwe has not been spared from climate change challenges which have led to an increasing frequency of severe droughts and cyclone induced droughts.”
“These, coupled with the economic sanctions imposed on us and the Covid-19 pandemic have had negative impacts on the lives and livelihoods of the people of my country,” explained Mnangagwa.
He therefore called for solidarity and cooperation among UN member states in an attempt to tackle the global challenges.
He further added that while impact of climate change is disproportionately borne by vulnerable communities, they in turn, must be capacitated so as to mitigate, adapt and build resilience.
President Mnangagwa therefore promised to commit what he called a conditional 40% per capita greenhouse gas emissions reduction target by 2030.
At the CoP26 summit, the President is also holding meeting on the sidelines with other foreign heads of state and government as well as investors.
The CoP26 attendance by President Mnangagwa in UK is being seen back home as a diplomatic coup considering the country has been isolated on international stage for decades.
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