Mr. Kiri in a group photo with the Ambassador of Ireland to Tanzania, By, John
Kabambala-Partner of UN News.
The city
of Dar es Salaam, grappling with the dual challenges of congested transport
systems and intense tropical heat, has become the backdrop for a significant
new declaration in the fight against climate change. At the prestigious Aura Suites hotel, Dar es Salaam, nestled within the city's bustling commercial hub, participants of
the post-COP30 meeting have concluded their deliberations with a completely new
direction. The core issue is no longer just about crafting good policies, but
about ensuring those policies translate into visible, measurable changes for
citizens directly affected by droughts and floods. The heat outside the venue
seemed to mirror the intensity of the discussions among experts who gathered to
propose scientific and social solutions for the country's future.
The
meeting, attended by civil society organizations, environmental experts, and
activists from across the nation, focused on the significant gap between
international pledges and local implementation. Throughout the day, the Aura Suites hall was filled with robust debate on how to overcome administrative
hurdles and ensure climate finance reaches the communities that need it most.
Participants agreed that many environmental policies are well-crafted but stall
during implementation due to a lack of robust monitoring and accountability
mechanisms. This is the gap that needs urgent attention, especially following
the major COP30 conference in Brazil.
GCCTC's Post-COP30 Vision: Bridging
the Implementation Gap
After the
formal discussions concluded, I had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Woflam
Kiri, a lawyer by profession, who spoke on behalf of the Director of the Genderand Climate Change Tanzania Coalition (GCCTC). We conducted an in-depth
interview on the sidelines of the event, in a quiet area on the fourth floor
where the meeting was held. He elaborated on the organization's commitment
during this new phase of implementation. He began by emphasizing that while
COP30 in Brazil was a platform for high-level agreements, the time has now come
to focus on domestic issues and address the local challenges facing Tanzanian
women and youth.
In this
brief but substantial interview, Mr. Kiri started with a firm stance,
explaining that after Post-COP30, GCCTC aims to shift the climate discourse
from the policy level to the level of measurable implementation. He stressed
that the world does not suffer from a lack of policies, but rather from an
implementation gap. "The major challenge is not the absence of
policies," he said calmly, "but the implementation gap, especially
concerning the inclusion of women and youth in decision-making and their access
to climate finance." This statement made it clear that the debate was no
longer about promises, but about outcomes that tangibly impact people's lives.
Through its network of civil society organizations, experts, and activists,
GCCTC is focusing on strengthening policy influence at the national and local
government levels. It is here, he explained, that policies either come to life
or die silently. Without professional advocacy and community participation,
resolutions remain in files, gathering dust.
Mr. Woflam
Kiri detailed that GCCTC's current goal is to transform the climate change
dialogue from the policy level to measurable action. He reiterated that the
main problem isn't a lack of policies but the implementation gap, particularly
in integrating women and youth into decision-making processes and ensuring
their access to climate funds. This foundational idea will guide the
organization in the coming years. Through its network, GCCTC is concentrating
on three key strategic areas. First, enhancing policy influence at the national
and local government levels. Second, closely monitoring the availability and
distribution of climate finance to ensure it reaches the target communities.
Third, building the capacity of women and youth so they can participate equally
in national and international discussions concerning their future.
Mr.
Woflam Kiri-Representative of GCCTC at the Post-COP30 MeetingA New Paradigm, Climate Change as
an Economic and Justice Issue
Within the
logic of policy governance, Mr. Kiri noted they are moving towards a robust
system of accountability. They aim to ensure that every pledge made on
international platforms is translated into national budgets, ministerial work
plans, and local projects with measurable, tangible results. This is a
significant step forward compared to the practice of simply collecting meeting
reports and leaving them in government archives. He stressed their desire to be
a bridge between international commitments and local realities, ensuring the
voices of citizens, especially women and youth, are not lost in higher levels
of decision-making.
Addressing
a common misconception, Mr. Woflam Kiri insisted that the climate agenda is not
solely an environmental issue, but one of the economy, justice, and national
development. He urged women to see themselves not just as victims of these
changes, but as strategic stakeholders in decisions regarding resources, land,
water, and energy. This shift in perspective is necessary to make the fight
against climate change more powerful. He stated that women have often been
viewed as a group needing charitable aid, whereas the truth is they possess
indigenous knowledge for managing natural resources and ensuring their families
cope with the impacts of climate change.
Using
critical statistics, he explained that over 65 percent of women in rural areas
depend on agriculture, which is directly affected by climate change. This means
their participation in climate adaptation initiatives has a direct impact on
food security and the well-being of their households. Therefore, he emphasized,
their involvement is not an added bonus but a fundamental right to participate
in decisions that affect them. He added that World Bank data shows that women
who are economically and socially empowered have a greater capacity to cope
with climate-related disasters, making them a crucial asset in national climate
change adaptation strategies.
A Direct Message to the Youth
Beyond Online Activism
Regarding
the youth, he delivered a direct and challenging message. He urged young people
to understand that climate change is the defining agenda of their generation,
and their participation requires skills, resilience, and an understanding of
decision-making systems. He cautioned those who confine themselves to online
activism, emphasizing that meaningful participation requires understanding
national policies, budgetary processes, and international negotiation
frameworks. He noted that social media is a valuable tool for mobilization, but
it is insufficient for achieving systemic change without a deep understanding
of how government functions and how budgets are formulated.
He used
the experience of COP30 as a mirror to show that young people with technical
preparation especially in policy analysis and climate finance were able to
influence debates with substantive arguments. He cited examples of youth from
various African countries who successfully integrated their issues into the
final agreements because they had learned the language of climate diplomacy and
UN procedures. His advice to the new generation in Tanzania is to build
capacity in areas like climate finance, policy analysis, and negotiation
skills. He also encouraged them to join networks like GCCTC to gain practical
experience not taught in universities and to build a professional profile that
will make their voices heard at national and international levels.
Immediate Action Plan Monitoring
COP30 Outcomes in Tanzania.
Concerning
post-meeting actions, Mr. Kiri detailed that the immediate step is to develop a
specific strategy for monitoring the outcomes of COP30 within the Tanzanian
context. This strategy will involve conducting a gap analysis between
international commitments and existing national plans. The goal is to clearly
identify where Tanzania lags and how to address these challenges swiftly. He
stressed that this analysis will be done in collaboration with all key
stakeholders, including government ministries, civil society, and university
researchers, to obtain an accurate picture of the situation.
Second,
they will collaborate with various ministries and other stakeholders to ensure
that gender and youth issues are properly integrated into implementation plans.
This will involve sitting at the negotiation table with policymakers to ensure
no group is left behind during the allocation of resources and funds for
climate projects. He stated they would closely monitor the budgeting process of
the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Finance to ensure that funds
allocated for climate change adaptation reach the intended recipients,
especially women and rural youth. Third, they will establish special training
programs on negotiation and climate finance monitoring for their network
members. This will empower women and youth to become skilled experts capable of
sitting with government leaders and advocating for their rights with
professional arguments, rather than waiting for sympathy. He explained that
these programs will involve practical training for leaders of women's groups
and youth associations on how to develop project proposals, monitor budget
implementation, and defend their rights at the local government level.
From Conference Rhetoric to
Tangible Community Change.
Before
concluding the interview, he reiterated that the primary goal of all these
efforts is to ensure that the outcomes of COP30 do not end up as dusty reports
in office files. Instead, they want these outcomes to translate into real
change at the community level from a woman farming in Rufiji to a youth
operating a bodaboda in Dar es Salaam, who faces extreme heat and the high cost
of living. He emphasized that the success of these efforts will be measured by
the improvement in people's lives, not by the number of meetings held or
reports written.
From a
broader perspective, it was clear from the interview that GCCTC is entering a
critical phase in its advocacy for climate justice for women and youth. They
will no longer be satisfied with nice political statements; they will demand to
see funds allocated in budgets and projects implemented. It is a wake-up call
for all leaders, from the local government level to the State House. As the post-COP30
meeting concluded, the ripples of discussion began to spread outside the Aura Suites Hotel. Attending experts agreed that GCCTC's voice must be heard more to
ensure Tanzania does not just pay lip service to international goals without
implementing them professionally.
Dar es Salaam's Climate Reality: A
Microcosm of National Challenges
The city
of Dar es Salaam, with its daily activities and congestion of vehicles emitting
fumes, desperately needs these solutions for capacity building and equity.
Climate change waits for no one, and as Mr. Woflam Kiri emphasized, "It is
now or never" is the time to ensure women and youth become part of the
decisions regarding their resources. For example, the city faces flooding
challenges during heavy rains due to clogged drainage and poor waste disposal,
a situation affecting many residents, especially those in informal settlements.
Climate solutions must consider these fundamental challenges and involve
citizens in finding lasting solutions.
As he headed towards the elevator to descend from the 4th floor where the meeting was held, amidst the heat of the Dar es Salaam afternoon, I asked him one final question: Do you have hope? He smiled wearily and said, "Hope exists, but hope alone is not enough. What we need are concrete actions and accountability. Our leaders need to understand that women and youth are not seeking handouts; they are seeking their right to participate in decisions that directly affect them." These words resonate clearly in conference halls and on the streets of our city, promising that the fight against climate change has a new, powerful, and equity-focused perspective. It is a call for every Tanzanian to join these efforts to ensure our shared future is safe and just for all.
Photos capturing the full scope of participation at the meeting.
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