Members of the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat are in the country seeking views on a comprehensive plan on mitigating effects of climate change in the region.

The three-member team met government officials in the Ministry of Environment and other stakeholders, to explore ways of making the bloc’s draft EAC Climate Change policy operational.

The views from each member state will be incorporated in the EAC Climate Change Master Plan.

"Since the policy will be adopted by all member states, it is of great importance to get their input in relation to their challenges,” said Brian Otiende, Coordinator of the EAC Climate Change.

The consultations that started in Burundi, is in line with the East African Protocol on environment and natural resource management as well as international climate change agreements.

Patrick Safari, Director of Strategic Planning and Policy in the Ministry of Lands and Environment, says the exercise gives each member state a chance to offer its views in line with its challenges.

"Each country’s contribution equally counts and this addresses or represents its participation, and therefore cooperation, in adopting the policy,” said Safari.
The team will later move to Uganda, Tanzania and finally, Kenya.

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