‘Let us stand together in preserving the earth and its beautiful environment’—CCAP’s Rev. Maulidi

Rev. Maulidi at the workshop in Chikwawa

* We need all to be aware that the greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it

* If all the environment is destroyed, the next thing to be destroyed is our lives

By Duncan Mlanjira

The African Faith Actors Network for Climate Justice (AFAN-CJ) Malawi Chapter, has emphasised the need for collaborative efforts among all concerned stakeholders in addressing climate change issues.

Reverend Baxton Maulidi, of Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) Blantyre Synod — who also ambassador in Malawi for the All-African Conference of Churches (AACC) made the plea yesterday at a workshop that brought together community members, faith leaders, civil society organisations, politicians and government officials in Chikwawa District.

“We need all to be aware that the greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it,” he said. “If all the environment is destroyed, the next thing to be destroyed is our lives.

“Let us stand together in preserving the earth and its beautiful environment,” said Rev. Maulidi at the workshop that was organised to strengthen the capacity of all stakeholders in developing resolutions to restore the degraded environment and enhance biodiversity.

In his remarks, District Forestry Officer for Chikwawa, Hector Nkawihe expressed optimism that the fight for climate justice will be more effective with the involvement of stakeholders, including faith leaders, who will use their platforms to raise awareness among their followers about the importance of environmental protection.

One of the participants at the workshop, Rev. Exvine Nkunule, pledged his commitment to raising awareness among his congregation and the wider community about their role in conserving the environment.

Meanwhile, the AFAN-CJ held a round table meeting in Nairobi, Kenya from August 27-29 to deepen the capacity of African faith leaders on the dynamics of climate justice actions at national, continental, and global levels.

Over 90 AFAN-CJ members from 35 African countries and various religious backgrounds participated where they documented key lessons, challenges, and initiatives by the faith communities on climate change as this will help shape AACC’s accompaniment efforts and advocacy actions.

According to Dr. Tinashe Gumbo, AACC’s program executive for economic and ecological justice, the round table was meant to create a platform for deepening the capacity of African faith leaders on the dynamics of climate justice actions at national, continental, and global levels.

“In the absence of the official United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Africa Climate Week in 2024, the AFAN-CJ meeting allowed the faith leaders to consolidate their position towards AFAN-CJ’s participation in COP29 in Azerbaijan,” he quoted as saying by aacc-ceta.org.

And also August 30 to September 2, the AACC, through the AFAN-CJ, participated in the 12th Conference on Climate Change & Development in Africa (CCDA-XII) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire from 2024.

The aacc-ceta.org reported that the sessions contributed to the 10th Africa Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) that is running from September 3 till tomorrow, September 8. 

The CCDA-XII was convened by ClimDev-Africa (AfDB, UNECA, AUC) in partnership with other organisations and the government of Côte d’Ivoire and according to Dr. Tinashe Gumbo, the CCDA provided a strategic platform for the faith leaders to share with other actors addressing the climate change crisis the recommendations that came from the AFAN-CJ continental round table meeting that was held in Nairobi.