Nairobi, Kenya, May 13 – Preparations for the inaugural Africa Climate Summit got underway on Friday with the launch of the African Union meeting Secretariat Office in Nairobi, Kenya and the unveiling of the event’s venue, theme and its leadership and technical teams.
The summit of African Heads of State and Government on climate will be co-hosted by Kenya and the African Union in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi from 4th to 6th September, alongside this year’s Africa Climate Week that will run from 4th to 8th September.
The venue of the twin event shall be the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in downtown Nairobi. Costs for both the Secretariat Office and the venue will be met from a USD 1 million sponsorship from the Government of Denmark through the Danish Embassy in Nairobi.
Speaking during the unveiling of the Secretariat Office, sponsored by the Government of Denmark through the Danish Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Hon Soipan Tuya said Kenya will host over 10,000 delegates for the twin events.
“We expect the participation of over 10,000 delegates in Nairobi
for both events. The participants will include Government delegations,
representatives from UN agencies, multilateral development institutions,
financial institutions, private sector…,” Hon Tuya said.
The Cabinet Secretary said Kenya got the greenlight to co-host the inaugural event from the Africa Union following an offer by President William Ruto, and thanked the Pan-African multilateral organization for trusting Kenya with the hosting of the Summit.
“His Excellency President Ruto in his
capacity as the Chair of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) offered for Kenya to host the Africa Climate Summit and the offer was unanimously approved on 19th February 2023 during the 36th Ordinary Session of the African Union
(AU) Assembly held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“We thank the AU member states and leadership for putting their trust in Kenya as they have done time and again, reflecting confidence in our leadership,” Hon Tuya, who was accompanied by Danish Ambassador to Kenya Ole Thonke, UN Resident Coordinator for Kenya Stephen Jackson and African Union Director for Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy Nyambe Nyambe, said.
She said the summit, to be held under the theme, “Africa Together for Bold, innovative and Resourced Climate Action: Unlocking
Climate Finance and Green Investments”, will seek to consolidate Africa’s voice ahead of this year’s 28th UN Conference of Parties (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates, as well as craft the continent’s green growth blueprint.
“President Ruto is clear that the Summit will chart a green growth pathway for the African
continent, setting the stage for Africa to lead the globe towards a more ecologically responsible global industrialization, catalyzed
by financing that is accessible, adequate, and affordable.
“A key outcome from the Africa Climate Summit will be an “African Leaders Nairobi
Declaration on Climate Change and Call to Action”
“The Summit will also provide a platform for consolidating Africa’s voice ahead of this year’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the UN Secretary General’s Climate Summit in September, and COP28 in the United Arab Emirates later in the year,” Hon Tuya noted.
Besides the Nairobi declaration, Hon Tuya said organizers expect participants at the inaugural summit and Africa Climate Week to strike new partnerships that will increase climate financing and enhance investments in low carbon and climate resilient development in Africa.
The summit, which will largely be an in-person event, will explore six thematic areas covering; climate finance, mitigation and green growth, climate adaptation and resilience, loss and damage, climate
vulnerable groups, and research innovation and technology.
The Africa Climate Summit and Africa Climate Week shall consist of pre-events staged by various stakeholder groups including youth, civil society, private sector and academia. The summit’s main events will be held at KICC’s main conference centers, with side events scheduled for KICC and other identified venues within Nairobi. Exhibitions will be held at KICC grounds.
Africa Climate Summit and Africa Climate Week Secretariat is led by the Director for Climate Change at Kenya’s Ministry for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Dr Pacifica Ogolla and Ms Leah Wanambwa of the African Union Commission (AUC).
Planning and Steering Committee is headed by Eng Festus Ngeno, Principal Secretary in Kenya’s State Department for Environment and Climate Change, his Foreign Affairs counterpart Dr Korir
Sing’oei and Dr. Harsen Nyambe Nyambe, AUC’s Director for Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy.
Hon Tuya leads the Executive Oversight Committee alongside her Foreign and Diaspora Affairs counterpart Dr Alfred Mutua and Ambassador Jossefa Sacko of AUC, while the Executive Committee is led by President William Ruto, his Union of the Comoros counterpart Azali Assoumani and AUC Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat.
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