Protecting Namibia’s biodiversity is critical to safeguarding livelihoods, strengthening community resilience and maintaining national economic stability, the country’s delegation to COP30 has said.
The group is led by environment and tourism minister Indileni Daniel and Environmental Investment Fund (EIF) chief executive Benedict Libanda.
Namibia set out its position during a strategic meeting with the executive director of the Loss and Damage Fund, Ibrahim Cheikh Diong, on the sidelines of the ongoing COP30 in Brazil.
The meeting aimed to establish how Namibia could benefit from the fund as the impact of climate change intensifies.
Namibia’s semi-arid landscape has become more fragile in recent years, placing the country among the most climate-stressed nations in the world.
The COP30 delegation reflected on how unusually heavy rainfall in some areas leads to flooding, while other regions face persistent dry spells and limited rainfall.
“This duality of flooding illustrates the complexity and unpredictability of Namibia’s changing climate,” EIF spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said in a statement on Sunday.
Diong highlighted the fund’s critical role in supporting countries experiencing irreversible climate impacts.
He said the fund has so far secured about N$13 billion (US$800 million) in pledges of which about N$7 billion is already accessible and an initial N$3 billion allocated for direct government grants.
Muyunda said key steps were outlined for Namibia to position itself effectively, starting with identifying a technically capable national focal point within the responsible ministry to coordinate engagement with the fund.
He said Namibia had been encouraged to build on its existing institutional strengths by utilising accredited national entities, and to begin developing a comprehensive pipeline of priority needs and project concepts that aligned with the fund’s guidelines, to enable it to respond swiftly within the submission timelines.
“Diong informed the delegation that countries will be required to submit proposals from December 2025. The fund’s board will be deliberate on submissions during its meeting scheduled for 2026,” he said.
