The president of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera, believes that a Scottish fund for developing nations affected by climate change should serve as a model for the entire world. .
In 2021, the Scottish government declared that it would start funding alleged "loss and damage" initiatives.
At the UN climate summit in Egypt the previous year, world leaders finally agreed to follow Scotland's example.
The modest Scottish fund, according to Mr. Chakwera, has already had a significant impact on six villages.
A quarter of the £2 million ($2 point 4 million) allotted for this year is being used in Malawi, a country with long-standing ties to Scotland.
From April, an extra £5 million will be made available.
According to Mr. Chakwera, who spoke in an interview with the BBC, "It has made huge differences in the people and their livelihoods because they are given a hand up, so the resilience we talk about becomes a practical issue. ".
He continued by saying that everyone else should follow Scotland's lead and do what it is already doing.
He insisted that it is incorrect to characterize the funds as aid and that they should instead be seen as a collective effort by nations to combat climate change.
The terms "loss and damage" describe the effects of climate change, such as an increase in storms and more destructive weather patterns.
A seven-kilometer (four-mile) flood embankment on the Phalombe River that was breached in ten places by storms last year is being partially rebuilt in Malawi's Zomba region thanks to funding from the Scottish government.
In the village of Mambundungu, further south, new flood defenses are being constructed after the village was moved to higher ground to avoid flooding only to be struck by a deluge coming off the hills.
Since decades, developing nations have argued that wealthier countries should foot the bill for climate-related damage that they did not cause.
Western nations, however, have resisted it out of concern for an upsurge in legal claims.
Thousands were displaced last year in Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar by a tropical storm that was swiftly followed by a cyclone.
If other nations adopted the Scottish model, according to Mr. Chakwera, vulnerable nations like Malawi would experience better support.
"This fight is our fight, and I think this example will serve as a model for what might occur. ".
At COP27 in November, world leaders decided to create a "loss and damage" fund, but the specifics have not been worked out, and it may be years before it is funded.
Poorer nations are still waiting for the £100 billion in promised climate financing that was slated to be delivered by 2020.
