Kenya has secured a major victory in the global fight against climate change, becoming the first country in Africa and only the second in the world to receive technical assistance through the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage.

The milestone was announced on the sidelines of the 64th Session of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) climate meetings in Bonn, Germany, where officials confirmed that Kenya had secured approximately USD 700,000 in support to undertake a comprehensive national assessment of climate-related loss and damage.

The assessment will examine the economic and non-economic impacts of climate change experienced across the country over the last decade and help shape future climate resilience strategies.

The achievement marks a significant recognition of Kenya’s growing influence in international climate diplomacy and its efforts to champion climate resilience on the African continent.

According to the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, the support will enable the country to generate critical evidence on climate-induced losses affecting communities, ecosystems, infrastructure, agriculture, water resources and livelihoods.

The findings are expected to inform policy development, investment planning and resource mobilization for climate adaptation and resilience-building initiatives.

Principal Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Dr. Eng. Festus K. Ng’eno welcomed the development, noting that the technical assistance will strengthen Kenya’s capacity to understand and respond to climate impacts.

“The technical assistance from the Santiago Network will strengthen our national capacity to assess climate impacts over the past decade and guide evidence-based planning, financing, and adaptation,” said Dr. Ng’eno.

The support comes at a critical time for Kenya, which has in recent years experienced prolonged droughts, devastating floods, rising temperatures, and other extreme weather events linked to climate change. These events have resulted in significant economic losses while also causing displacement, loss of livelihoods, food insecurity, and damage to critical ecosystems.

The Santiago Network was established under the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage to help vulnerable developing countries access technical assistance for averting, minimizing, and addressing climate-related losses and damages. Its mission is to connect countries with the expertise, institutions, and resources needed to respond effectively to the growing impacts of climate change.

For Kenya, the assessment will go beyond measuring economic costs. It will also document non-economic losses such as impacts on human health, cultural heritage, biodiversity and community wellbeing—areas that are often overlooked but are increasingly recognized within global climate negotiations.

The exercise will further support the development of climate-related loss and damage scenarios up to 2035, helping policymakers anticipate future risks and prioritize investments.

Climate experts view the initiative as a crucial step toward ensuring that countries most affected by climate change have access to the evidence needed to secure support and implement effective interventions.

The importance of such efforts has been emphasized internationally through the Santiago Network’s work with vulnerable nations. During the launch of technical assistance for another beneficiary country, officials described the process as “a moment of hope, leadership and action” for communities facing the devastating impacts of climate change.

Kenya’s selection therefore represents more than a funding opportunity. It signals growing confidence in the country’s climate governance structures and its commitment to developing science-based approaches to climate resilience.

The assessment is also expected to strengthen national and county-level capacities by equipping government agencies and community actors with methodologies and tools for conducting future loss and damage assessments. The resulting data will help guide national planning frameworks, climate finance strategies and long-term adaptation measures.

As climate impacts continue to intensify across Africa, Kenya’s latest achievement positions the country at the forefront of efforts to understand and address one of the most challenging dimensions of the climate crisis.

By securing this historic support, Kenya is not only strengthening its own resilience but also setting an important precedent for other African nations seeking to access international mechanisms designed to address climate-related loss and damage.