By Lamin Kujabi
His Excellency President Adama Barrow recently received the delegation from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), headed by Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa, Assistant Secretary-General and Director for UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa.
Shortly after the meeting with the President, Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa told journalists that their meeting covered several issues such as climate change impact on The Gambia, the just concluded COP27 in Egypt and the decisions that were taken including establishing a fund for loss and damage for the developing countries.
The Assitant Secretary General recognised that The Gambia is one of those countries that are vulnerable to the effects of climate change. She said the President elaborated on the impact of climate change on the country; the capacity of the land for productivity and the fact that The Gambia will now be one of those countries to have access to climate financing.
She revealed that they also discussed the cooperation between the United Nations and The Gambia, expressing her institution’s commitment to continue working with The Gambia.
The other subject touched on, according to Ms.Ahunna Eziakonwa, was the overall situation of the economy. She metioned that the country depends on tourism, which she noted is greatly affected by various problems.
“We also talked about governance issues and the projects the UN is supporting in this country in areas of reform, transitional justice as well as the political process”.
The UNDP senior official finally commended The Gambia for the smooth transition process in maintaining peace and security in the country, noting that it is the foundation for sustainable development.
The Gambia recently adopted a plan of Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), an ambitious plan to illustrate how The Gambia as a country will contribute to reduce national emissions to 1.5 degrees and adopt a greener pathway of development.
The delegation also comprised the Director of UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa; Ms. Assata De, UNDP Resident Representative in The Gambia; SeraphineWakana, UN System The Gambia Resident Representative; Nana Chinbuah UNDP, Deputy Resident Representative; Fatou Mboge, Special Assistant to the ASG; and NyoyaTikum, Regional Coordinator for West and Central Africa.
