‘Mainstream WASH into climate change strategy’
Two advocacy organisations have called for stakeholder collaboration to mainstream Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) into the National Climate Change strategy to meet the country’s sustainable development agenda.
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In that regard, the entities have emphasised on the need to establish a parliamentary select committee on climate change to enhance transparency in the financing of WASH based climate adaptation strategies.
This was contained in a joint position paper made available to the media by the two bodies, WaterAid Ghana (WAG) and Ghana Youth Environment Movement (GYEM), in Accra yesterday (Tuesday).
Accountability
Presenting details of the position paper, the Director of GYEM, Mr Gideon Commey, observed that the establishment of a parliamentary select committee on climate change would enhance accountability in finance delivery for WASH strategies and also ensure equity in accessibility.
“We recognize that the success of the of the implementation of the of the National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) will not be the singular responsibility of the central government but will depend largely on the involvement and participation of all relevant stakeholders, including the private sector and civil society organisations (CSOs),” he added.
Engagement
He said the way forward was for the government and the implementing bodies of WASH and climate change adaptation programmes to engage CSOs and non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) through consultations.
Mr Commey further called on implementing bodies of the WASH and climate change strategies to involve the youth in their activities by engaging with the National Youth Authority (NYA) in all decision making processes.
Collaboration
The Head of Policy Advocacy at WaterAid, Dr Chika Uzenaku, urged implementing ministries such as the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing (MWRWH) and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) to formulate and coordinate policies and programmes for efficient WASH regime.
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He further stated that, the way to go was for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to put in place mechanisms, including the building of the capacity of their staff, to mainstream WASH and climate change strategies into their operations.
Background
The NCCP is Ghana’s policy response to climate change, providing vision and guiding framework for an integrated response to climate change, which is linked to national sustainable development principles.
The policy’s five thematic areas including agriculture and food security, disaster preparedness and response, natural resource management, equitable social development, and energy, industrial and infrastructural development.