Over 30,000 delegates will meet in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, Kenya beginning Monday, September 4, for the inaugural Africa Climate Summit 2023 (ACS).
The event will begin with the Opening Plenary of the Ministerial Segment of the Africa Climate Summit and Africa Climate Week, with the topic “Driving Green Growth and Climate Finance Solutions for Africa and the World.”
African Union said this is an opportunity to showcase Africa’s green growth potential and explore financial and development solutions for a climate-resilient
The event, which will take place at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), will bring together African leaders, with one of the consequences being a pledge to bring to global summits, including the next COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
During a Cabinet meeting headed by President William Ruto on Tuesday, August 29, the government stated that the event demonstrates Kenya’s worldwide leadership in Climate Change.
The Cabinet noted that the Africa Climate Summit had attracted immense global interest. “The Summit will be graced by over two dozen Heads of State and Government, high-level representatives of development partners and international institutions, as well as subject experts; with the number of delegates expected to be about 30,000,” a Cabinet dispatch reads in part.
The Cabinet meeting also observed that climate change continues to pose an existential threat to the future security and stability of the country; fueled by scarcity of pasture, water, and other natural resources.
Meanwhile, with a focus on addressing climate change vulnerabilities, the Summit aims to inform, frame, and influence commitments and outcomes leading to the drafting of the Nairobi Declaration.
Discussions will centre around climate change adaptation, resilience, and solutions, particularly on nature-based approaches, sustainable agriculture, and catastrophe risk reduction activities.
Special Climate Envoy for Kenya Ali Mohamed said climate change is no longer an issue of them versus us, it’s no longer an issue between the developed and the developing countries, and it’s no longer an issue between North and South, East or West.