Zimbabwean woman Moreen Chitsike raised the country's flag high after she received the prestigious Exceptional Negotiation, Diplomacy and Leadership Award at the Best Diplomats Conference held recently in France.
This recognition highlights Ms Chitsike's outstanding skills in negotiation, diplomacy and leadership, as celebrated by the Best Diplomats body, which organises simulated diplomacy programmes to train individuals across the world in diplomatic skills.
The programmes are designed to develop world-class future diplomats, expert negotiators and visionary leaders.
Ms Chitsike's commitment to Zimbabwe's sustainable development earned her the award.
She represented Zimbabwe on the global stage, where representatives from 122 countries participated. Ms Chitsike presented on a topic: "Policies for sustainable energy development surrounding renewable energy", which emphasised the need to adopt affordable and clean energy (SDG 7).
Her chosen topic implored developed nations to increase investment in Zimbabwe's renewable energy through technology transfer, financial support, and capacity-building initiatives to bridge the country's energy gap.
Zimbabwe's national electrification rate currently stands at 42 percent.
According to her presentation, about 83 percent of urban households have electricity while rural electrification stands at around 13 percent.
The rural population continues to rely mostly on firewood, thus increasing the rate of deforestation, which increases exposure to climate change.
Generation of electricity from conventional energy sources such as coal remains the primary source of energy, Ms Chitsike said, which is contributing to emissions of greenhouse gases.
In her presentation at the conference, Ms Chitsike highlighted the dire consequences of climate change and how Zimbabwe has been experiencing years of floods and droughts which she all attributed to climate variability.
She said the droughts had adversely affected power generation at Lake Kariba, which is one of the main sources of electricity, resulting in frequent power cuts of approximately 16 hours per day, adversely affecting economic sectors and livelihoods thus the need for sustainable climate practices.
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Ms Chitsike, however, highlighted that Zimbabwe remained committed to reducing its emissions by 33 percent by 2030 in line with the Paris Agreement.
This can be attained through a policy environment and supportive regulatory framework that aligns with the global SDGs.6
Speaking upon arrival from the global event at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, Ms Chitsike, a Chartered Development Finance Analyst (CDFA), said she supported the establishment of international and regional partnerships to facilitate the exchange of best practices, knowledge and resources in the development of renewable energy, fostering a collaborative approach to addressing global energy challenges.
"There is an urgent need for developing countries like Zimbabwe to implement policies that support the development and deployment of renewable energy technologies in a timely, coordinated and sustainable manner, in line with the principles of sustainability, human rights and international law" said Ms Chitsike.
Upon receiving the award, Ms Chitsike dedicated the achievement to First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, who is also the SADC Environmental Patron, whom she described as a hard-working woman and a champion who has exemplified transformative leadership in environment and sustainable development issues.
The conference sought to transform and sharpen diplomats' leadership skills and negotiating practices offering a fusion of debate and networking to shape dimensions of diplomacy that transcend national boundaries.
