The Managing Director of the Sierra Leone Water Company (SALWACO), Ing. George Lamin Vandi and the Director of Project Management, Ing. Yankuba Tarawally are presently in Dubai, UAE to attend the Conference of the Parties (COP28). Several engagements are expected to be held during sessions.
COP-28 is the world’s largest climate summit and is a UN summit in which all world leaders are coming together to design, plan and strategize on how to tackle the effect of climate change.
The GoSL is represented by all sectors that are critical to climate change, with Dr. Kandeh Yumkella as leader of the delegation, representing President Julius Maada Bio.
GoSL has a pavilion and will work with other world leaders to secure funds for climate mitigation measures that will help in achieving the SDGs.
SALWACO as one of the key agencies under the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation will have an event that will showcase the gains made, the challenges faced by the utility and exploit the opportunity of getting sufficient funds for implementation of new programs.
MD Vandi and Director Yankuba will be presenting on behalf of SALWACO which will be followed by meetings with private sector players and potential funding partners for investment in the water and sanitation sector.
As earlier reported by Sierra Leone’s Information Attache in Dubai UAE, Mohamed Lamin Massaquoi, during the event, Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, congratulated the COP28 UAE President on the positive start of the conference with an expeditious approval of the agenda and the landmark operationalisation of the Lost and Damage Funds. He said that climate challenges were bringing the world to its knees, adding that was a sickness only global leaders could cure.
“We are miles from the goals of the Paris Agreement…but it is not too late. We have the technologies to avoid the worst if we act now. We need leadership, cooperation and political will for actions and we need it now. Climate justice is long overdue. Developing countries have been devastated by disasters they did not cause. The global stock take must commit to a surge in finance including for adaptation and lost and damage and it must support reform of the multilateral development banks to leverage far more private finance at reasonable costs for developing countries in climate action,” he said.
King Charles III of the United Kingdom expressed optimism that the COP28 would be another critical turning point towards genuine action. He said that dealing with climate change was a job for everyone, while urging global leaders to work together to make it easier to embrace decisions that will sustain the world. He reminded the climate negotiation process that the hope of the world would rest on the decisions they take.
Earlier on, the United Arab Emirates President, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced a $30 billion fund for global climate change solutions as a way of bridging the climate financing gap.
The COP28 has brought together world leaders, private sector players, civil society and other stakeholders who over the next two weeks would discuss and take actions to address climate issues in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13.
Members of the Sierra Leone delegation are expected to participate in several platforms during the summit.
©️ SALWACO Communications Unit
