Zambia

Climate change worsens existing health issues for women, adolescent girls, and young people, including limited access to clean water, sanitation, food, healthcare, and education. It directly impacts sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender equality, and sustainable development, as outlined in the ICPD Programme of Action. Failure to uphold SRHR hinders women and girls' involvement in climate action and policy, limiting their education, livelihoods, and decision-making.

Studies have shown that attitudes and structural barriers due to different impairments make WWD more vulnerable to climate change, violence, and discrimination (Astbury and Walki, 2013). This is due to the myriad challenges faced by WWD such as lack of access to education, myths and cultural practices, high poverty levels, lack of power and finances, and poor access to information, among others, that are discriminatory and harmful to WWD.

The African Development Bank, through the Africa NDC Hub, supports the implementation of Africa’s NDCs. The Bank established the Africa NDC Hub in November 2017 in response to a call by RMCs to support the implementation of their NDCs. In partnership with 17 development institutions, the Hub serves as a collaborative platform and resource pool supporting the implementation of African countries’ NDCs. Through the Africa NDC Hub, the Bank is able to leverage the capacities of other member institutions of the Hub in supporting RMCs.

The project developed up-to-date information on climate change vulnerabilities, greenhouse gas emissions, and opportunities for adaptation and mitigation in 25 African countries, tailored to the specific needs of each country. It also provided training for staff in economic and planning departments to strengthen their capacity to understand and apply climate data. This support has enhanced the ability of African countries to strategically plan long-term climate interventions and to access international climate finance.

The project provided knowledge, capacity, and partnerships to support the climate-proofing of African infrastructure projects, focusing on two transboundary cases: the Togo and Benin section of the Abidjan–Lagos Coastal Corridor road project, and the Batoka Gorge Hydropower Project between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It also developed concept notes for submission to the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

The twelve Sub-Saharan African countries included in this study are parties to the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. Despite their long-standing participation in global climate negotiations, progress in implementing and reporting on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) remains limited. Challenges such as reliance on secondary data, lack of technical capacity, financial constraints, and the complexity of cross-sectoral implementation have hindered effective NDC delivery.

Eastern and Southern Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world to the impacts of climate change, with two of the most affected countries and four out of the ten most affected countries globally in 2019. The extent of exposure and adaptive capacity varies both within and across communities, depending heavily on intersections of socio-economic status, socio-cultural norms, and access to resources.