EUROPEAN UNION

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

European Climate Diplomacy Day:

EU and Tanzania Reinforce Partnership for Effective Climate Action

Friday, 30 June, 2017; Dar es Salaam: On the occasion of the European Climate Diplomacy Week (19 June
02 July), the Delegation of the European Union,the Embassy of Germany, the Embassy of France and DFID
in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Tanzania hosted a public movie screening of the award-winning
documentary Kokota: The Islet of Hope " at the Goethe-Institut. A representative from Vice Presidents
Office, Union and Environment, Dr Kahitira Bwire, Senior Environmental Officer, took part in the event
together with the Head of the Delegation of the European Union, Amb. Roeland van de Geer, the French
Ambassador, H.E Mrs Malika Berak, the German Charg dAffaires, John Reyels, and the DFID Climate
Change Advisor, Mr. Abdalla S. Shah.

Kokota: The Islet of Hope tells the story of Mbarouks quest to help Kokota. This short film introduces
viewers to resilient people living on the front lines of climate change and tells the story of how these
unlikely heroes have managed to innovatively adapt to a warming climate while reforesting their island.
This inspirational film promises to leave audiences around the world believing that simple solutions really
can have huge impacts.

A high-level panel, including Dr Kahitira Bwire, from the Vice Presidents Office, Mbarouk Omar, from
Community Forest Pemba Project and in charge of the project presented in the documentary, Ms. Rebecca
Muna, Director of Civil Society Forum on Climate Change (FORUMCC), and Prof. Jamidu Katima from the
Centre for Climate Change, University of Dar es Salaam, discussed on areas prompted by the DFID Climate
Change Advisor, Abdalla Shah, who moderated the discussions, and questions raised by the audience.

The guest of honour, Dr Kahitira Bwire, Senior Environmental Officer, Vice Presidents Office said that
"climate change is here with us and now with severe impact on human beings at community level, economic
activities, livelihood systems and environmental systems countrywide. That is why adaptation to climate
change is a necessity in Tanzania. The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania has started the
ratification process of the Paris Agreement and is committed to ratify the Agreement possibly after the next
parliamentary session added Dr. Bwire.

In opening the event, the French Ambassador, H.E Mrs Malika Berak said, while Tanzania was among the
first signatories, the ratification process of the Paris Agreement is still under way and we hope it will be one
of the key items before the Parliament in the next session.

The Government of the Federal Republic of Germany is proud to support the Tanzanian Governments first
approved Green Climate Fund Project for the Simiyu Region, which will support almost half a million
Tanzanians in their resilience to climate change by providing clean drinking water and climate change
adapted farming techniques. On his part the DFID Climate Change Advisor, Abdalla Shah opened discussion
by emphasizing that in spite of all the denials climate change is real. It requires collective efforts to deal
with it. All nations all people should take this challenge seriously and tackle it.
EU Ambassador Roeland van de Geer, said in his concluding remarks, the example of Kokota shows us that
as the climate changes, we humans have to adapt as well; even faster than the increasing temperature and
also more rapidly than the rising sea level.

The Paris Agreement has given us the framework to achieve this as nearly 200 countries decided to jointly
take responsibility for today and tomorrow by committing to preserve the very source of our life, planet
Earth concluded Amb. Van de Geer.

BACKGROUND
In the Paris Agreement (the 21st Conference of Parties - COP21), a total of 195 countries adopted a
universal and legally binding climate deal. The major key elements include a long-term goal of keeping the
increase in global average temperature to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels;to aim to limit the
increase to 1.5C, since this would significantly reduce risks and the impacts of climate change;the need for
global emissions to peak as soon as possible; and to undertake rapid reductions thereafter in accordance
with the best available science. The adaptation focus is on strengthening societies' ability to deal with the
impacts of climate change and provide continued and enhanced international support to developing
countries.
The EU was the first major bloc to submit its intended contribution to the new agreement in March 2015. It
is already taking steps to implement its target to reduce emissions by at least 40% by 2030. Furthermore,
the EU and other developed countries support climate actions to reduce emissions and build resilience to
climate change impacts in developing countries. The Paris Agreement entered into force on 4 November
2016. As of 30 June2017, there are 195 signatories to the Paris Agreement. Of these, 151 States have
ratified it.
The European Climate Diplomacy Day is an outreach initiative of the European Union and its Member
States and part of the EU`s commitment on climate action at home and abroad. More than 50 countries
worldwide will host a dedicated European Climate Diplomacy outreach event, showcasing successful
climate cooperation and highlighting the importance of partnership for effective climate action.

For more information please contact:

Susanne Mbise EU Press & Information Officer

Susanne.MBISE@eeas.europa.eu /0753045795