WOTE, Kenya, Nov 26 – The 7th Devolution Conference on Friday recommended the formation of a new Senate committee to monitor county-level climate adaptation measures at the end of a 3-day sub-national climate summit in Makueni.
The creation of the Senate Climate Action Committee was among twenty-six resolutions contained in a joint communiqué adopted by delegates at the conference.
The Devolution Conference, Kenya’s inaugural sub-national climate summit, also recommended increased allocations by both the national and county governments in the 2022-2023 budget cycle to support climate adaptation at the grassroot level.
The communiqué called for stepped up preventative health, planning and risk reduction through an integrated approach encompassing the two levels of government.
Further, delegates agreed on the need to expedite joint regulations by both levels of government to promote investments in renewable energy, a key intervention to deescalate global warming.
“Both levels of government shall develop and review regulations and standards to provide an enabling environment for investment in renewable energy including clean cooking and E- Mobility for sustainable and affordable utilization of energy,” the outcome document read.
Stakeholders also committed to mainstream gender responsive and inclusive climate action policies, legislation, strategies and initiatives.
They called on the establishment of structures to support the realization of inclusive urban resilience in cities, municipalities and towns.
The Council of Governors committed to work with the national government to review the National Oceans and Fisheries Policy (2008) in a bid to realign it to the Constitution (2010).
The outcome document was developed through various sector-specific sessions including panels on key thematic areas where delegates and development partners proposed measures to scale up climate action at the sub-national level.
While making its presentation on Thursday, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) called for sustained resource mobilization efforts to finance locally-led disaster risk management to avert climate triggered calamities.
In remarks delivered at a panel discussion on climate change and risk management at, UNDP Resident Representative in Kenya Walid Badawi proposed a multi-pronged approach to fund mitigative measures at the grassroot level where he noted adaptive mechanisms are most needed.
“Kenya has done relatively well in terms of attracting international finance for climate change in Africa but it doesn’t come near the USD62 billion figure that has been projected that’s needed to reach 32 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,” Badawi said.
While delivering a virtual address during the opening ceremony of the conference on Wednesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta revealed that Kenya pledged to attain a 32 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, as part of its commitments at the COP 26 climate summit in Glasgow.
“This will cost Sh6,874 billion (US $ 62 billion). Out of this figure, Kenya will mobilize 13 per cent from domestic sources, while we expect fund the balance of 87 per cent from the external sources,” he explained.
Badawi, who welcomed Kenya’s commitment, said UNPD was working directly with counties to strengthen disaster risk reduction even as he urged devolved units to take necessary steps to mainstream disaster risk reduction in respective budgets.
“Robust financing for disaster risk reduction actually helps, and while international finance is key, its only catalytic. Mainstreaming DRR in local budgeting is a more sustainable solution,” he pointed out.
The Resident Representative noted that climate financing is a key enabler to climate adaptation without which climate adaptation commitments and targets cannot be realized.
He said UNPD was keen to implement a whole-of-society approach in a bid to mitigate risk and ensure sustainable development.
The Devolution Donor Working Group called for locally-led interventions to support adaptation to climate change and cushion rural communities from adverse effects.
The Chairperson of the working group, Denmark’s envoy to Kenya Amb Ole Thonke, on Wednesday said county governments must take a leading role in formulating adaptive measures even as the national government joins global efforts to mitigate climate change.
“For me if we talk about climate mitigation, that needs a global solution but climate adaptation needs local solutions. That is where the counties come into this picture,” Amb Thonke said.
He noted that several counties were already experiencing the impact of climate change particularly prolonged drought as a result of failed rains.
“It is in counties where the impact of climate change is felt; citizens suffer either because there’s no water for the animals or their crops will not grow because there’s too little rain,” the Danish diplomat noted.
Thonke pledged to rally donor support to enhance response to climate change at the county level.
“The message from us is that we as development partners we’re right there behind you. Climate change is a huge priority for all of us and we will direct more funding in the future towards climate change,” he stated.
He singled out the World Bank-funded climate action initiative dubbed Financing Locally–Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) set to be launched later on Wednesday among key interventions by international partners.
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