| Overview : Climate change and inadequate environmental management constitute the most pressing barriers to Zanzibar’s socio-economic development. Being a small island semi-autonomous state, Zanzibar has unique vulnerabilities to the impacts of climate change, which has the potential to exacerbate current inequalities affecting its inhabitants. This may lead to increase in conflict already seen through increased tensions among sectoral stakeholders. Indeed, climate change has the potential to wipe out years of economic gains and social improvements. In an attempt to address the challenges, in 2012, UNDP along with the Government of Zanzibar (GoZ), through the First Vice-President’s Office (ZVPO1), developed and implemented a project titled “Strengthening Environment and Climate Change Governance for Zanzibar”, with the aim of improving environmental management and climate change governance in Zanzibar through capacity building and mainstreaming of adaptation actions in development plans. Despite the efforts made and considerable achievements (including the developing of a Climate Change Strategy for Zanzibar and a framework for Climate Change Financing Mechanism), there are gaps remaining which, without addressing them, may see Zanzibar not adequately prepared to face climate change challenges at policy, institutional and financial levels. There is great potential to increase climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction through greater adaptive capacity at all levels of society in Zanzibar. This will mean there will be increased options for livelihood opportunities through climate change adaptation initiatives in key sectors such as agriculture, tourism, fisheries, livestock, energy, infrastructure, construction, education and health. UNDP’s Energy and Climate Change portfolio is aligned with the priorities set out in the National Five Year Development Plan II (2016/17-2020/2021), Zanzibar Strategy for Economic and Social Transformation (2016-2020), The Tanzania Development Vision 2025, Global Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Development Assistance Plan (2016-2021). |
