The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry on Monday launched the Africa Climate Summit website, social media platforms, and registration portal at the Secretariat of the Africa Climate Summit.
The launch of the Africa Climate Summit (ACS) comes after a high-level meeting of the Committee of African Heads of State on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) that was chaired by President William Ruto. In the convention, representatives present from the government of Egypt, Algeria, Zambia, and Congo Brazzaville were present and upon approval endorsed Kenya’s concept note, albeit with some amendments as proposed by the government of Algeria.
Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Soipan Tuya, revealed there was a delay in the launch of the website because there had to be content created for the website. Additionally, stating that the development of the website is a success thanks to efforts and support from German Government through GIZ and the Danish Government.
“As much as Kenya and the Africa Union are hosting the Summit, Climate Change is a global problem. The entire globe is impacted by the devastating effects. We must join hands together, both in terms of the content of the Summit as well as resourcing the Summit,” said CS Soipan.
The oncoming summit is expected to be a major momentous event as it offers Africa an opportunity to look at the climate change Development nexus. Enabling a conversation on vast sensitive topics from the debt geometric progression and its effects on Climate Change interventions including adaptation and mitigation.
The CS emphasized that this is crucial for Africa since it’s a Trade and Investment Summit on Climate Change and thus shouldn’t be for blame games of North vs South or who has emitted more or less.
“Africa will be bringing to the World its resources that include the vast untapped arable Agricultural land, its critical minerals, its renewable energy potential as well as its Carbon sinks. It is a summit of Africa’s Resources versus the Capital of the rest of the world, and how those two can be synergized to fight Climate Change,” added CS Soipan.
ACS will structure a Nairobi Africa Leaders Declaration, that proposes a new global financial architecture for Climate Change which will make a proposal on reform of the Multilateral Development banks with regard to how they deal with Africa’s debt.
Further, the PS Eng. Festus Ng’eno reiterated that the decisions on Africa’s resources that would promote green growth and a low carbon development pathway will be pronounced, as well as unify Africa’s position to COP 28.
“The unveiling of the Africa Climate Summit website and registration hub highlights the significance of the website for delegates as a central hub for registration and information access,” said PS Eng Ng’eno.
In conclusion, the CS appealed to the partners and governments present, to find an aspect of the summit to support, highlighting that the Summit is still in a deficit of about USD 10 million. The website having been barely around for hours has garnered about 2000 delegates already which is quite promising for how many delegates and participants ACS will attract.
“Feel free to speak to our National Treasury, the PS Environment and Climate Change, PS Eng Ngeno, or the Secretariat, on how you could channel this support. Any support towards it will be very much appreciated,” said CS Soipan Tuya
