RISING SEA LEVELS: TZ urges global action

NEW YORK: TANZANIA has called for faster and more accessible climate finance, technology and early-warning systems to help developing countries respond to the growing threat of rising sea levels, warning that the impacts are already being felt by communities, economies and ecosystems.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Sea-Level Rise in New York, Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi said the threat could no longer be treated as a future risk.

“The issue is no longer a future threat. It is already affecting people’s lives, economies and ecosystems around the world,” said Mr Ndejembi who is representing President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

For Tanzania, the challenge is particularly significant because of its Indian Ocean coastline, Zanzibar and other islands, where communities depend on fishing, tourism, trade and other coastal and marine activities. Mr Ndejembi said coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion and flooding were among the threats affecting communities, infrastructure and economic activities.

He said Tanzania was already taking measures to address the challenge, including strengthening coastal protection, restoring mangroves and other ecosystems, improving water security and advancing community-led climate change adaptation.

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However, he said national efforts alone could not address a challenge of global scale, calling for climate finance that is adequate, predictable and more accessible to developing countries and vulnerable coastal communities.

The high-level meeting brought together United Nations member states, leaders, experts and other stakeholders to strengthen international cooperation on rising sea levels. The discussions focused on protecting lives and economic activities in coastal areas, strengthening early-warning systems, improving climate data, building resilient infrastructure, expanding access to technology and promoting nature-based solutions.

The meeting followed the 2024 High-Level Meeting, which placed sealevel rise firmly on the international agenda and was expected to produce a joint declaration aimed at strengthening global action and the capacity of vulnerable countries to respond to rising sea levels.

Tanzania supported adoption of the declaration by consensus while stressing the need to translate commitments into concrete action and tangible results. For Tanzania, implementation of the commitments could strengthen access to climate finance, technology, early-warning systems and support for resilient infrastructure, with implications for coastal communities and sectors such as tourism, fisheries and other blue-economy activities.

Mr Ndejembi said the interconnected nature of the oceans required countries to work together in addressing challenges affecting them. “The ocean connects us. Therefore, the rising level of its waters should also unite us in taking collective action,” he said