Ruto Flies Out To Dubai For COP 28, To Lead 3 Key Events
Ruto will represent all African presidents and be amongst 100 global leaders during the event slated to run between Thursday, November 30 and Tuesday, December 12.
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President William Ruto will depart today for Dubai to attend the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP 28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he will advocate for Kenya and Africa's climate agenda.
A statement from State House spokesperson, Hussein Mohamed, revealed that the Head of State will represent all African presidents and be amongst 100 global leaders during the event slated to run between Thursday, November 30 and Tuesday, December 12.
"President Ruto will emphasize transformative climate action urgently needed to correct the world's current trajectory. As the Chair of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), the Head of State will deliver a statement on behalf of Africa, highlighting the continent's priorities and building on the historic African Leaders Nairobi Declaration adopted at the inaugural Africa Climate Summit held in Nairobi in September 2023," stated Mohamed in part.
According to the statement, Kenya and Africa possess vast natural resources, a growing workforce, and untapped renewable energy potential, positioning them to contribute significantly to global climate action while pursuing sustainable development.
President William Ruto addressing the COP 27 conference in Egypt on Monday, November 7, 2022. /WILLIAM RUTO
President Ruto aims to use COP 28 to establish Kenya and Africa as key hubs for green manufacturing, supporting the global decarbonization agenda.
"To achieve this vision, he advocates for comprehensive financial reforms, emphasizing the need to align international financial institutions, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with Africa's developmental context and climate goals," added the statement.
Building on the Nairobi Declaration's call for effective partnerships, President Ruto will also spearhead three key events at COP28.
The first will be the launch of the Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative (AGII) a collaboration between the COP28 Presidency (UAE), the Government of Kenya and other African States, with the ambitious goal of assisting African countries in developing significant green industries to drive economic growth, job creation, and trade.
AGII will implement the Nairobi Declaration, where African leaders committed to a green and inclusive growth path, harnessing the continent's potential. The objective is to hyper-scale green businesses and industries in Africa, promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation while fostering substantial economic growth and job creation on the continent.
The event will also feature the Ksh689.4 billion (USD 4.5 billion) Africa Green Investment initiative led by the UAE, designed to catalyze a transformative cycle of change through investments in green opportunities on the continent.
Ruto will also attend a New Framework on Climate Finance - drawing on G20 outcomes, the Bridgetown Initiative, the Paris Summit for a New Financial Pact, and the Nairobi Declaration, COP28 is expected to establish a new climate finance framework. He will present Africa's perspective on international financial architecture reform.
The President will also witness the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and investment deals for significant investments in Kenya's green manufacturing, showcasing our potential as a green powerhouse in Africa.
"Leveraging COP 28, President Ruto aims to enhance collaboration, share best practices, and advance Africa and Kenya's priorities on the global climate agenda.
"Since his inauguration on September 13, 2022, President Ruto has consistently emphasized the need for tangible climate action to confront the global existential crisis. At COP27 in November 2022, in Egypt, he shifted the African climate narrative from victimhood to opportunity, delivering an inspirational statement," added the statement.
In June, the Head of State led calls to have all Conference of Parties (COP) global climate meetings cancelled as they had not brought out anything tangible and must work to conclusively resolve and deliver on all issues to avert climate change.
"I hope we all have the determination to make COP28 the last COP we hold. I am told there are plans for COP29; they should be cancelled because it is possible to agree on a framework to bring everybody on board and as a continent, we will be going to COP28 with a clear mind on what we need to do and how Africa and the global south can work with the global north not as adversaries, but as partners to be able to resolve the climate crisis and present ourselves the opportunity to have a win-win outcome that has no finger-pointing.
"We need COP28 to create and seek a win-win outcome to avert the climate crisis once and for all," the President stated in his opening remarks at the opening ceremony of the second United Nations Habitat Assembly, dubbed #UNHA2, which began on June 5 at the UN headquarters in Gigiri, Nairobi, and is being attended by nearly 5,000 delegates from more than 128 countries.
At COP 27, President Ruto in his speech on behalf of the African continent cornered the West for what he described as "evasion and delaying tactics" in dealing with regions like Africa, which bear the brunt of the effects of climate change, noting that by 2050, climate impacts could cost African nations Ksh6.9 trillion ($50 billion) annually.
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