By Brighton Tchongwe

Civil society organisations and networks have called on the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Climate Change to champion anticipatory climate action financing and strengthen accountability for climate commitments.

Speaking at Parliament Building in Lilongwe during a meeting between civil society organisations and the committee, Norwegian Church Aid and Danish Church Aid (NCA-DCA) Malawi Head of Programmes, Paul Manjamwada, urged lawmakers to promote the integration of climate preparedness into local planning and financing.CSO Condemns Corrupt CSO’s

He proposed that 10 percent of the 2026/27 Constituency Development Fund (CDF) be allocated to climate preparedness and El Niño mitigation interventions.

Manjamwada also called on the committee to expedite the enactment of the Climate Change Bill, saying it would provide the legal framework for establishing and operationalising the Climate Change Fund.

“The fund would strengthen domestic resource mobilisation and support timely investments in climate adaptation, resilience and disaster risk management,” said Mmanjamwada.Faith, CSO Leaders Unite Behind Dr Catherine Mzumara For UTM Running Mate

He further appealed to the committee to provide oversight to ensure that the country’s Strategic Grain Reserves are adequately stocked within 60 days to enhance Malawi’s preparedness for potential food insecurity resulting from the anticipated effects of a super El Niño.

In her remarks, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Climate Change, Tiaone Hendry, assured stakeholders that the committee would prioritise the issues raised.MEC Urged to Collaborate with CSOs for Better Voter Registration

She said the committee would engage the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Decentralisation to explore the best ways of implementing the proposed interventions.