Opening Remarks by European Union Head of Delegation, H.E. Paola Amadei King’s Field Visit To Hlotse - Ha Khabo - ReNOKA

I present my respects to His Majesty Letsie III and Her Majesty Queen ‘Masenate,

The Right Honourable Prime Minister Mr. Ntsokoane Samuel Matekane,

The Honourable Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Law and Justice, Mme Nthomeng Majara

Honourable Minister of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police, Mr. Lebona Lephema,

Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, Mr. Thabo Mofosi,

Honourable Minister of Natural Resources, Mr. Mohlomi Moleko,

Honourable Minister in the Prime Minister Office, Mr Limpho Tau

The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Excellency Andreas Peschke,

Principal Chief of Leribe

Member of the National Assembly

Representatives of Government Ministries,

The GIZ Country Team,

Representatives of Civil Society Organisations,

Representatives of Catchment organisations and communities,

Members of the Media,

All protocols observed

Khotsong bo-'Mé le Bo-Ntate,

In March this year after a briefing at the Palace, His Majesty honoured the ReNOKA programme with a request to visit one of the project sites to experience first-hand how the programme operates.

It is an immense honour for my team and I to witness this visit today and I thank all of you who joined His Majesty to visit the site of Ha Khabo.

The impact of the climate crisis is before our own eyes.

Lesotho has made a bold choice to launch the innovative programme ReNOKA to address it and the choice is starting to bear fruits. Like with many Sesotho names, the programme’s title has a purpose and a special meaning- ‘we are a river’.

Like individual streams meet to form a  river and sustain life, ReNOKA  represents a network of individuals, communities, professionals and leaders coming together to contribute to the restoration of water, land, and the long-term prosperity of all Basotho.

Why is ReNOKA the answer to the climate challenge of Lesotho?

Because degraded soil cannot absorb and regulate water flows. Degraded soil cannot support sustainable agriculture. Because erosion threatens the integrity of wetlands systems.

ReNOKA addresses all these challenges.

At the current rate, Lesotho is losing at least 4,500 tonnes of (fertile) top soil every hour. Nutrient-rich soil is carried away by rivers into the ocean, negatively Lesotho’s ability to feed her people.

Erosion also threatens existing and future infrastructure. Heavy storms wash soils down the country’s slopes, silting up reservoirs and dams, reducing their life span, degrading the quality and amount of the water available, and damaging roads and bridges, or even solar power plants, as witnessed in Ha-Ramarothole.

In this regard, the management of water, land and soil resources in Lesotho is critical to improve agricultural productivity, food security, climate resilience, and access to clean and sustainable water and energy.

For this reason, Team Europe – the EU and its 27 Members States – and the German government as part of its bilateral programme are proud to support ReNOKA - Lesotho’s transformative National programme.

Next month, the Ambassadors of EU member States will join me in Maseru for the annual Lesotho-EU dialogue.

Among other things, we will discuss with the Government of the Kingdom our cooperation. We share the vision to transform Lesotho into a self-sufficient country, producing clean energy and providing its people with sustainable access to energy, water and sanitation services.

 75% of the EU’s cooperation resources in Lesotho are allocated to water and energy and fully aligned with the priorities of Lesotho’s new government, facing head on the challenges created by climate change.

The new programme “Metsi a Lesotho” will be on the agenda. When adopted, the new programme shall provide more resources to ReNOKA to extend the areas covered and to consolidate its results. The new programme shall also support the delivery of clean water and sanitation to rural communities, schools and clinics.

As we saw this morning, the ReNOKA programme aims to improve soil and water conservation through concrete actions implemented with the support of local communities, following a decentralised approach. It uses innovative nature-based solutions to halt soil erosion and furthers the use of indigenous knowledge as a precious resource to meet today’s challenges of environmental conservation.

Since its launch in May 2021, Your Majesty, ReNOKA has made in-roads, and we have seen examples during our guided walk today. Other examples include:

• Local support was provided to the livelihoods of rural Basotho. Over 2,500 individuals were engaged in watershed teams across the country and 321 community associations and commercial farming businesses were established.
• Degraded watersheds were rehabilitated in areas such as Ha-Khabo, leading so far to the restoration of 264 hectares of watersheds.
• 120 savings and lending communities were created leading to the accumulation of 2.4 million Maloti serving the needs of the communities.
• The National University of Lesotho (NUL) now offers a new Master’s Degree in Integrated Catchment Management and 15 scholarships for its students will be soon awarded.

And it is just the beginning.

ReNOKA has been widely recognised internationally and this is also just the beginning. Lesotho has the possibility to make headlines internationally with a programme, which is delivering results and can provide a model that other countries can adapt to their environment. ReNOKA is making Lesotho a trailblazer. It has featured in the World Water Forum in Dakar, Senegal, in the World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden, in the COP 27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. For the first time, Lesotho was invited to the European Development Days in Brussels last year, represented by His Majesty. ReNOKA was one of the few programmes presented there from across the world.

Institutional participation today at the highest possible level manifests the interest and commitment to support the objectives of ReNOKA and to make it a success.

Given the challenges, we face, neither development partners, nor government entities can afford to work in silos. For ReNOKA to be successful and its potential to be unlocked, solid institutions – that exist beyond the lifespan of this or that project – and harmonisation is vital. The current revision of the Water Act provides a unique opportunity to consolidate the work done to develop solid integrated catchment management institutions and enshrine them in a long-term legal basis.

ReNOKA  is a framework that can help cement government action and development partners’ support, reducing duplication of mandates, and paving the way for common mechanisms, such as pooled funds.  

Before I conclude, let me pay a tribute to the men and women that have worked tirelessly to reach the progress we see today, the Implementation Unit in the Ministry of Natural resources, the GIZ team and the myriad of organisations local and international that cooperate with them, the associated ministerial teams, the teams of the German Ministry of Cooperation and the EU Delegation, all the communities who have believed in ReNOKA.

A very special tribute goes to His Majesty King Letsie III who has been a pioneer of ReNOKA support since its launch.

You believed, Your Majesty, from day one that Lesotho could be a trailblazer and innovator in the fight against climate change, with the support of this network of individuals, communities, professionals and leaders, collectively dedicated to the restoration of water, land, and the long-term prosperity of all Basotho. I hope that what you saw today confirmed your hopes and expectations.

I thank you,

Khotso! Pula! Nala!