Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Friday, April 12, 2019 said that urgent attention was needed to tackle effects of climate change especially on food security.
Lungu said that countries in Africa and around the world should work together in finding solutions to climate change effects especially on food security.
Lungu stated this while receiving the Commonwealth Secretary- General, Patricia Scotland, who paid him a courtesy visit at the State House.
According to him, the devastating effects of Cyclone Idai in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe should be a wake-up call to all countries on the need to address climate change.
Zambia, he said, has not been spared by the effects of climate change as evidenced by insufficient rainfall experienced in the 2018 and 2019 farming season in the southern part of the country, while the northern part experienced excessive rainfall.
Responding, the Commonwealth Chief said her organisation was open to join hands with countries in finding a permanent solution to the effects of climate change.
She said there was the need for a Climate Fund that would complement the Green Climate Fund to help countries curtail the negative effects of the change.
Meanwhile Lungu had signed into law a bill that sets into motion national dialogue led by his government despite opposition from stakeholders, his office said on Friday.
Lungu hah also signed the National Dialogue Bill into law after it was passed by parliament last month, setting a stage for national dialogue meant to tackle various contentious issues in the country.
Presidential Spokesperson, Amos Chanda, said that Lungu assented to the bill on April 9, 2019.
He said other processes for the dialogue process would be finalised by the justice minister.
Recently, Lungu said he would not hesitate to assent to the bill once it was presented to him.
Opposition political parties have rejected the national dialogue process led by the government as they prefer the church to lead the dialogue process.
They have accused the government of attempting to force its demands in the dialogue process and have since vowed to shun the dialogue process. The law seeks to provide a forum to facilitate the amendment of the country’s constitution as well as other laws such the electoral law and a controversial law that manages public gatherings and processions.
