Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698931003650.pdf (Zambia)
` REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, LANDS AND NATURAL RESOURCES ON THE PROPOSAL FOR ZAMBIA’S ACCESSION TO THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE GLOBAL GREEN GROWTH INSTITUTE FOR THE SECOND SESSION OF THE THIRTEENTH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY Printed by the National Assembly of Zambia LIST OF ACRONYMS GGGI-Global Green Growth Institute MLNR – Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources MOF – Ministry of Finance MNDP – Ministry of National Development Planning SPAR6C – Supporting Preparedness for Article 6 Cooperation GCF – Green Climate Fund CPF – Country Planning Framework NDP III – Third National Development Plan ii TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD ................................................................................................................................... i 1.0 MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE ............................................................................ 1 2.0 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................. 1 3.0 4.0 SUMMARY OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE AGREEMENT.........................................1 SUMMARY OF SUBMISSIONS FROM STAKEHOLDERS ........................................... 4 5.0 CONCERNS BY STAKEHOLDERS ................................................................................. 8 6.0 COMMITTEE’S OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................... 8 7.0 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................... 9
9 APPENDIX I - List of National Assembly Officials ............................................................ 10 APPENDIX II - List of Witnesses.......................................................................................... 11 iii 1.0 MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE The Committee consisted of Mr Kasauta Saiti Michelo, MP (Chairperson); Mrs Maureen Mabonga, MP (Vice Chairperson); Mr Mayungo Simushi, MP; Mr Yotam Mtayachalo, MP; Dr Kabwe Taulo Chewe, MP; Mr Mweemba Malambo, MP; Mr Nickson Chilangwa, MP; Mr Ronald Kaoma Chitotela, MP; Mr Andrew Tayengwa, MP; and Mr Lusale John Simbao, MP.
2.0 BACKGROUND The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organisation dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies.

The Committee was informed that since its establishment as an international organisation in 2012 at the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, the membership of the GGGI had grown from eighteen to forty-five as of October, 2021.
The Committee was informed that in 2018, the Zambian Government expressed interest to join the GGGI, which was affirmed in 2019, and culminated in the Institute undertaking a scoping mission to Zambia from 27th to 30th May, 2019.

During the mission, various stakeholders including the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR), Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the now re-aligned Ministry of National Development Planning (MNDP) were visited.
A follow- up mission was undertaken with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the then Ministry of National Development Planning.

The mission observed that at the time, the Green Climate Fund was coordinated by the MNDP.

The Fund had since been moved to the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment.

The mission concluded that the MNDP was to expedite the process leading to Zambia becoming a member of the GGGI.
The GGGI had been helping the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment through the National Designated Authority (NDA) to secure readiness support aimed at among other things, creating a National Financing Vehicle for climate change and developing the green growth strategy for Zambia.

3.0 SUMMARY OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE AGREEMENT The summarised provisions of the Agreement were as set out below.
Article 1-Establishment This Article provided for the establishment of the GGGI as an international organisation.

Article 2-Objectives This Article provided for the objectives of the GGGI which included to promote sustainable development of developing and emerging countries through supporting and diffusing a new paradigm of economic green growth.

Article 3-Definitions This Article defined various terms used in the Agreement.
1 Article 4-Activities Article 4 provided for types of activities needed to be met in order to accomplish the objectives of the GGGI.

Article 5-Membership This Article provided for membership to the GGGI.

Among others, it provided that a state or regional integration organisation shall become a member of the GGGI by becoming a Party to the Agreement.

Article 6-Organs This Article provided for the principal organs of the GGGI, which were an Assembly, a Council, an Advisory Committee and a Secretariat.
Article 7-The Assembly This Article provided for the Assembly as the supreme organ of the GGGI.

It also provided for the procedures as well as the functions of the Assembly.

Article 8-The Council This Article provided for the Council as the executive organ of the GGGI.

It also provided for the composition and functions of the Council.

Article 9-The Advisory Committee Article 9 provided for the Advisory Committee, as a consultative and advisory organ of the GGGI.
It also provided for the procedures to be followed by the Committee.

Article 10-The Secretariat and Director-General Article 10 provided for the Secretariat which shall be under the guidance of the Council and Assembly.

It further provided that the secretariat shall be the chief operational organ of the GGGI headed by a Director-General.

Article 11-Working Language This Article provided for the working language of the GGGI which shall be English.
Article 12-Finance The Article provided for the finances of the GGGI, among which shall be finances obtained through voluntary contributions provided by Members.

Article 13-Disclosure This Article provided for a comprehensive disclosure policy to the organs of the organisation which ensured transparency in the work of the GGGI.

Article 14-Legal Personality and Capacity This Article provided for the legal personality and capacity of the GGGI.
It provided that the GGGI shall possess legal personality and have the capacity to contract, acquire and dispose of immovable and movable property; and to institute and defend itself in legal proceedings.
2 Article 15-Privilegesand Immunities This Article provided that the GGGI may enjoy such privileges and immunities in the member state in which it was headquartered, and may seek such privileges and immunities in other Members, as may be necessary and appropriate for the proper functioning of the GGGI in the territory of member states.

Article 16-Cooperative Partnerships This Article provided for Cooperative Partners.
It provided that the GGGI may establish cooperative relationships with other organisations, including international, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, with a view to further the objectives of the GGGI.

Article 17-Transitional Provisions This Article provided for the transitional provisions.

Article 18-Depositary Article 18 provided for the depositary and it stated that the Director-General of the Secretariat shall be the Depositary of this Agreement.
Article 19-Signature This Article provided that the Agreement shall be open for signature at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil as of 20 June 2012 and shall remain open for signature for twelve months.

Article 20-Ratification, Acceptance and Approval Article 20 provided for the ratification, acceptance and approval.

It provided that the Agreement shall be subject to ratification, acceptance or approval by the signatory States and regional integration organisations.
Article 21-Accession This Article provided for accession.

It further provided that the Agreement shall be open for accession by any state or regional integration organisation, which had not signed the Agreement.

Article 22-Entryinto Force Article 22 provided that the Agreement shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after the deposit of the third instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.
Article 23-Reservations This Article provided that no reservations shall be made to the Agreement.

Article 24-Amendments This Article provided for the procedure for amendments to the Agreement by a Party to the Agreement.

Article 25-Withdrawals This Article provided for an option to withdraw by any Party from the Agreement by written notification.
3 Article 26-Interpretation Article 26 provided for the interpretation procedure on the provisions of the Agreement arising between any member and the GGGI or between any members of the GGGI.

Article 27-Consultations This Article provided for consultations between Members of the GGGI with the Director- General of the GGGI or with other Members concerning any matter on the implementation, application or operation of this Agreement.
Article 28-Termination This Article provided for the termination of the Agreement.

It provided in part that the Agreement may only be terminated through a decision by consensus in the Assembly of all members.

4.0 SUMMARY OF SUBMISSIONS FROM STAKEHOLDERS The Committee was informed that the GGGI was a treaty-based international, inter- governmental organisation dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies.
It also aligned itself with similar global trends which promoted sustainable economic growth in member countries.

The Committee learnt that Zambia was not yet a signatory and had not yet acceded to the GGGI.

However, the GGGI had been providing support to the Government of Zambia through the under listed activities despite Zambia not being a member.
i. Zambia’s National Green Growth Index This was a collaborative project to benchmark the country’s green growth performance and to establish its readiness to transition to a green economy growth model.

The final Green Growth Index Report was expected to be completed by December 2022. ii.

National Green Growth Strategy The GGGI had been sharing knowledge on green growth strategies and solutions and identifying and sharing good practices and approaches on green growth from its member and partner countries.
The GGGI was expected to support the development of the implementation roadmap and action plan for the strategy supported by a robust green investment plan and budgetary analysis.

iii.

Carbon Trading The GGGI had been offering support for the development of the Supporting Preparedness for Article 6 Cooperation (SPAR6C) Programme.
The SPAR6C aimed to support Zambia and three other partner countries (Colombia, Pakistan, Thailand) in developing their Article 6 framework enabling these countries to become frontrunners in the new carbon market era.

The Committee learnt that going forward, the GGGI was expected to support the Government of Zambia in the under listed areas.

4 i.
4 i.

Green Climate Fund Readiness Support The GGGI had supported the National Designated Authority with the development and submission of a GCF Readiness proposal that aimed to support Zambia’s direct access to climate change finance from the GCF through pre-and post-accreditation support and pipeline development.

A revised proposal had been submitted to the GCF and approval and delivery was expected in 2023. ii.
Potential Country Programmatic Interventions with GGGI Resource Partners Together with the Government of Zambia, the GGGI had begun the process of identifying potential interventions that would underpin the Zambia Country Programme.

Active engagement had commenced with Finland, EU Delegation and Sweden.

Intervention areas included circular economy, climate smart agriculture, sustainable landscapes including nature-based solutions, green jobs, green cities planning and development and green industries.
The aim was to have a range of projects and programmes approved from 2023 onwards.

Systems Strengthening iii.

The GGGI planned to support the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment to enhance and strengthen its mandate as the focal Ministry with oversight over the multiple cross-sectoral green interventions that would be implemented to enable the country’s green economy transition.
Objectives of Zambia’s Accession to the Global Green Growth Institute The Committee was informed that the objectives of Zambia’s accession to the GGGI an international organisation dedicated to supporting countries to transition to a new model of economic development were to: i. ii.

iii.

iv.

v. vi.
iii.

iv.

v. vi.

enhance inclusive and sustainable economic development; enhance environmental resilience; enhance investment in the development of renewable energy; reduce Zambia’s unemployment levels especially among the youths; enhance governance systems by promoting transparency; and enhance rapid urban development.
Benefits of acceding to the Membership of the Global Green Growth Institute The Committee was informed that the accession of Zambia to the GGGI was imperative as the benefits outweighed the consequences and arising from the afore-stated, Zambia would benefit more if the accession to the GGGI was ratified by Parliament.

Therefore, by acceding to the Global Green Growth Institute, Zambia would enjoy the benefits outlined below.

i.

Access to knowledge sharing and good practice.


All members had access to knowledge products for scaling up green growth solutions, and involvement in knowledge exchange to identify good practices and approaches that may be applied in different country contexts.

ii.

Technical assistance delivered through a mix of global, regional and country-specific programming, guided and funded through voluntary core programme and project earmarked contributions from GGGI’s growing number of partners.

5 iii.
5 iii.

No changes or amendments were required to the Zambian law as the organisation’s objectives were consistent with the country’s Constitution and other legislation.

The Committee was also informed that the GGGI’s delivery model was through its unique in- country presence in member countries.

Its prominent role was that of a neutral, trusted advisor and strategic development partner embedded in member and partner governments.
Further, GGGI served as an enabler and facilitator of a member’s transition into a low-carbon green economy, providing policy advice and technical support in the development of green growth plans, regulations, and mobilisation of green investments.

It also helped in the implementation of green growth projects, and development of local capacities and knowledge sharing.
Consequences of not Acceding to the Global Green Growth Institute The Committee was informed that if Zambia did not accede to the GGGI, she would miss the unique opportunities availed to member states and hence limits international stakeholder inputs.

Consistency of the International Agreement with the Constitution The Committee was informed that the Agreement was not in conflict with the Zambian Constitution, as well as the requirements to be met under the Ratification of International Agreements Act, No.
34 of 2016.

Finance The Committee was informed that membership to the GGGI did not require any obligatory financial contributions as highlighted under Article 12 of the Agreement.

Therefore, Zambia’s membership would not put a strain on the Treasury even though member states were encouraged to voluntarily contribute.
The Committee was further informed that in addition to voluntary contributions by members, the GGGI shall obtain its financial resources through voluntary contributions provided by non-governmental sources, the sale of publications and other revenue, interest income from trusts, and any other sources in accordance with the financial rules to be adopted by the Assembly by consensus.
The Committee further learnt that in order to promote financial transparency, a financial audit of the operations of the GGGI shall be conducted on an annual basis by an independent external auditor appointed by the Council, and shall be conducted in accordance with international auditing standards.

As a member, Zambia would have access to the audited financial statements.
Withdrawal The Committee was informed that as a member, Zambia would under Article 25 of the Agreement be allowed to withdraw from the Agreement by written notification of its intention to withdraw from the Agreement.

Such withdrawal would take effect six months after the date of receipt by the Director-General of the Secretariat of the notification.
Ramifications of Membership to the Global Green Growth Institute The Committee was informed that membership to the GGGI did not require any obligatory financial contributions.

Among other ramifications, the under listed were noted.

i.
i.

As a member, the country could leverage on its GGGI membership to develop funding proposals for submission to the Green Climate Fund and could leverage on its 6 membership when negotiating with multilateral financial institutions and at bilateral level for financial support especially in the area of green growth; ii.
Zambia would be granted access to knowledge products for scaling up green growth solutions, and involvement in knowledge exchange to identify good practices and approaches that may be applied in different country contexts; iii.

Government had been consulting the GGGI to help it develop a National Green Growth Strategy and, therefore, membership to the GGGI would provide increased access to its knowledge, network and other resources; iv.
The Government had stated that a green growth strategy would be developed to promote an economy-wide integration of green values and principles in the consumption and production systems.
It was envisioned that Zambia’s membership would have a positive impact on the efforts of Government to grow the green economy; and v. Zambia’s membership to the GGGI would enhance the Government’s efforts in mitigation and adaptation to climate change while promoting sustainable management of the environment, ecosystems and natural resources to promote green growth and environmental sustainability.
The Global Green Growth InstituteWorks in Africa The Committee was informed that countries such as Burkina Faso, Cote d’Iviore, Senegal, Morocco, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda were some of the African countries which had signed up for the treaty.

Some of the experiences of these countries working with the GGGI were discussed below.

Ethiopia The GGGI launched the first and largest solar powered irrigation system project in October, 2022.
The Pilot Project was worth USD 70,000 and was funded by the Danish Government.

The irrigation system had a capacity to pump and water up to 90 hectares of land, and was expected to serve about twenty-five inhabitants of the local community organised under fifty members of irrigation cooperatives.
It was noted that such an innovative and large-scale project spearheaded by the GGGI would help contribute to the national initiative of the country to transition from diesel to solar powered irrigation in a bid to help ensure a Climate Smart Agriculture.

Rwanda The GGGI had undertaken climate resilient and urban development initiatives in Rwanda.

This entailed construction of infrastructure and buildings that were climate resilient.
Thus, the GGGI was supporting the Government of Rwanda in the strategies and the priorities that they had set in the updated Nationally Determined Contributions report as well as their own national strategies, including the Vision 2050 document.
Specifically, the GGGI was supporting the Government of Rwanda in its transition towards an inclusive green economy by: i. mainstreaming green growth principles and green technologies through the implementation of the Green Growth and Climate Resilient Strategy pilot projects; 7 ii.

iii.

iv.
iii.

iv.

strengthening technical capacities of national and local governments in terms of urban planning and green infrastructure development; supporting Rwanda Green Fund as it transitioned into a sustainable and blended financing vehicle for green growth in Rwanda; and supporting Development Goal targets.
the Government of Rwanda to accelerate progress on Sustainable Uganda The Committee was informed that on the 26th October 2022, Uganda signed the Uganda’s Country Planning Framework (CPF) which was the GGGI’s planning document that presented the strategic initiatives that GGGI aimed to pursue in partnership with the Republic of Uganda.
The focus areas of the Uganda country strategy were the green investments, climate action, climate resilient agriculture, waste management, and crosscutting themes of gender, equality and social inclusion.

Having successfully implemented the first CPF 2016-2021, GGGI’s reiterated its commitment to support the Republic of Uganda in its transition towards climate-resilient green growth and sustainable development.
GGGI’s commitment was anchored in the Government of Uganda’s long-term Vision 2040 and aligned with the Third National Development Plan (NDP III).

This CPF, with a strong focus on green investments and climate action, would contribute towards a clean, green growth pathway for Uganda through offering direct support to the NDP III.

5.0 CONCERNS BY STAKEHOLDERS i.


A concern was raised by some stakeholders that, since Zambia was a developing country, there was need for the country to join the GGGI as a participating member because this will not attract financial obligations on Zambia.

This was in contrast with the other method where a member may join as a contributing member and have a financial obligation to the GGGI.

ii.
ii.

The Committee raised a concern that despite Zambia joining as a participating member, there would be need for the payment of annual subscription fees to the GGGI and hence the importance of knowing what the annual subscription fee was.

To clarify the above concern, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment stated that Membership to the GGGI under participating membership did not require any obligatory annual financial contributions.
6.0 COMMITTEE’S OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS From the outset, the Committee agrees and supports the proposal by the Executive to approve Zambia’s accession to the membership of the GGGI just like all the stakeholders who appeared before it.

This is on account that the GGGI’s mission and objectives are in line with the National Policy on Climate Change as well as the 8th National Development Plan.
Further, the GGGI agreement is not in any way contradicting the Republican Constitution as well as the Ratification 8 APPENDIX I - List of National Assembly Officials Mr Francis Nabulyato, Principal Clerk of Committees (SC) Mrs Chitalu K Mumba, Deputy Principal Clerk of Committees (SC) Mrs Angela M Banda, Senior Committee Clerk (SC) Mr Alvin Himululi, Committee Clerk Ms Grace Mbewe, Administrative Assistant Mr MuyembiKantumoya, Parliamentary Messenger 10 APPENDIX II - List of Witnesses Ministry of Green Economy and Environment Ministry of Justice Ministry of Tourism Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation Ministry of Energy i. ii.
iii.

Ministry of Finance and National Planning iv.

v. vi.

vii.

Ministry of Agriculture viii.

Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources ix.

x. xi.

xii.

xiii.

xiv.

xv.

Zambia Environmental Management Agency Law Association of Zambia Policy Monitoring and Research Centre HIVOS people unlimited Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research PELUM Zambia Zambia Climate Change Network 11