New partnership between Belgium and Mozambique to address climate change

This was announced today by Development Minister Frank Vandenbroucke on the occasion of the start of COP27, the international climate summit in Egypt.

"Climate change knows no boundaries, as we also experienced in Belgium with the floods in 2021. If we are serious about tackling climate change, we need to make a green and equitable transition worldwide. Hence, we will assist Mozambique so that it can invest in green energy instead of fossil fuels. At the same time, Mozambique is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. We will help people to better protect their communities and environment from natural disasters such as cyclones and floods, which are becoming even more intense due to climate change,” says Minister Vandenbroucke.

As one of the first countries in the world, Belgium will explicitly include the theme of ‘loss and damage’ due to climate change as a field of action. Only Denmark, Scotland and the Walloon government made similar pledges so far. In doing so, Belgian development cooperation is responding to the increasingly vocal demand of climate-vulnerable countries in the Global South to address climate disasters more forcefully - a demand that will also be at the center of COP27.

The effects of global warming are already hitting Mozambique inexorably. The World Bank estimates that the average annual damage due to flooding alone is $440 million – amounting to almost 3% of its GDP. Climate change is said to have already cost the country a total of some $3 billion. In 2019, Mozambique was hit by Cyclone Idai, which killed around 1,500 people - the second deadliest storm ever recorded in the southern hemisphere. Tens of thousands of people became homeless or fled. Mozambique is no exception in this regard: worldwide, more people flee from the consequences of global warming than war each year.

At the same time, as one of the least developed countries in the world (ranking 181^st on the Human Development Index) the country has limited resources to arm itself against these increasingly devastating disasters. Belgium will therefore work with Mozambique to see how critical infrastructure such as roads and water and energy facilities can be made more climate-resilient to limit ‘loss and damage’.

Next to the ‘loss and damage’ part, the new cooperation program will also help the Mozambican government on their way to making the national economy more climate resilient. Mozambique's subsoil is rich in coal, oil and gas, but there is also an enormous potential for solar, water and wind energy. The possibility of developing green hydrogen will also be explored in the new partnership. Enabel, the Belgian development agency, will power remote areas not connected to the electricity grid using solar panels and is also planning solar-powered drinking water supply and irrigation solutions.

Furthermore, Belgium supports the implementation of Mozambique's national program for sustainable waste management. In cooperation with local government departments, waste managers and municipalities, efforts are aimed at creating a more circular economy in which the lifespan of electrical appliances, clothes and other everyday utensils can be extended. This includes the construction of recycling plants in Nacala and Nampula.

In total, the partnership will impact approximately 550,000 people. Additional attention will be paid to the needs of women and youth, who are often the hardest hit by climate change. Due to extreme drought, for example, harvests fail more often, and longer distances must be traveled to fetch potable water. Because women in Mozambique are still largely responsible for securing food, fuel and water, it becomes more difficult for them to support their families. Girls must leave school early to help their mothers.

The new cooperation program runs from 2023 to 2028 and includes a total amount of 25 million euros. 2.5 million euros are specifically allocated to the loss and damage component. In the spirit of governmental cooperation and Team Belgium, the Brussels Capital Region is making an additional contribution of 1 million euros for new drinking water facilities in Mozambique on top of the above package.