- CS Tuya said the country is committed to achieving 30 per cent tree cover by 2032 through the growing of 15 billion trees.
- She said 30 per cent of that will be fruit and fodder species to contribute to the country’s food and nutritional security and household incomes.
Over 6,000 delegates are expected to converge in Nairobi towards the end of the month to discuss challenges facing the planet and offer solutions.
The delegates from the 193 UN member states, including heads of state and government, ministers of environment, and other high-ranking dignitaries and UN officials, will put their heads together for the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6).
The Assembly takes place from February 26 to March 1, at UNEP headquarters in Gigiri under the presidency of the Kingdom of Morocco.
Its theme is “Effective, inclusive, and sustainable multilateral actions to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution”.
Environment CS Soipan Tuya said on Thursday that Kenya is privileged to host UNEA every two years in Nairobi by virtue of our country being the global headquarters of UNEP, which is one of the two UN agencies headquartered in the Global South.
The CS held a press conference at the Serena Hotel on preparations being put in place for the Assembly.
UNEP executive director Inger Andersen and UNEP’s Director for Governance Affairs Radhika Ochalik were present.
Tuya said the other one is UN Habitat, which is also headquartered in Nairobi.
She said the country is accelerating the transformation of Kenya’s linear waste management system into a circular economy.
“As a result, Kenya will hold a side event on circular economy during UNEA-6 to appreciate the strides the country has made in implementing waste policies to address pollution control, best practices in circular economy, and extended producer responsibilities,” she said.
Tuya said the current administration is clear on the need for solutions to environmental challenges.
“Kenya’s National Landscapes and Ecosystem Restoration Strategy, the anchor blueprint for the flagship 15 billion national tree programme that gave our country the first national tree growing day (green holiday) on November 13 last year, is one such ambitious initiative that we are fully committed to as a ministry and as a government,” she said.
Tuya said the country is committed to achieving 30 per cent tree cover by 2032 through the growing of 15 billion trees.
She said 30 per cent of that will be fruit and fodder species to contribute to the country’s food and nutritional security and household incomes.
Tuya said delegates will all be requested to take time off and grow trees at sites to be communicated.
President William Ruto, who is also the Chairperson of the Committee of the African Union heads of state and government on climate change, will deliver the UNEA-6 National and Welcoming Statement on February 29.
This will be during the high-level segment that will be attended by several other visiting heads of state, government, and dignitaries. It is not clear how many heads of state will attend.
“During the entire duration of UNEA-6, from February 26th to March 1st, there will be a showcase of Kenya’s rich cultural heritage, climate action potential, and touristic offerings to visiting delegates at the venue. We thank UNEP for allowing us to set up Kenya House at the venue,” Tuya said.
Andersen said they are expecting more than 70 ministers.
Issues around mining, water, use of fertilisers, reforms of the financial sector to align them with sustainability, solar radiation modification, and the global biodiversity framework will be discussed during the assembly.
“We currently have 20 draft resolutions and two draft decisions submitted for countries to discuss,” he said.
Andersen said as preparations get underway, it is clear that the world has an environmental must-do list.
“This is a must-do list for tackling what we at UNEP call the triple planetary crisis: the crisis of climate change, the crisis of nature and biodiversity loss, and the crisis of pollution and waste. This crisis disproportionately impacts the African continent, including Kenya.”
Andersen said the impacts are here and growing.
“Last year was the hottest on record, bringing more intense storms, droughts, and wildfires. Species are under massive pressure, forests are falling, and soils are turning infertile. Millions of people are dying each year from exposure to pollution and chemicals.”
Andersen said there is some global response to the crisis. Citing last year’s climate talks that signalled the end of fossil fuels and the Loss and Damage Fund becoming operational, with over $700 million pledges.
She cited some of the strides made as part of the new Global Framework on Chemicals and the first full year of operation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
“We’re in the final stages of negotiations on a global instrument on plastic pollution—a key outcome of UNEA-5. There are dozens of other global and regional multilateral environmental agreements, many of them hosted by UNEP,” she said.
Andersen said she expects robust discussions that will yield good resolutions to help reverse some of the threats facing the planet.
The Assembly convenes at a time when the earth is facing a triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, pollution, and waste.
Over the years, the assembly has played a pivotal role in shaping global environmental policy, and UNEA-6 is expected to follow suit.
The Assembly is the world’s highest-level decision-making body for matters related to the environment, with a universal membership of all 193 Member States.
It undertakes policy review, dialogue, and the exchange of experiences; sets strategic guidance on the future direction of UNEP; and fosters partnerships for achieving environmental goals and resource mobilization.
The Assembly meets every two years to set the global environmental agenda, provide overarching policy guidance, and define policy responses to address emerging environmental challenges.
Since its creation in 2012, UNEA has embodied a new era of multilateralism in which the environment is given the same level of prominence as other critical issues like peace, poverty, and health.
The fifth assembly took place in Nairobi, Kenya, from February 28 to March 2, 2022.
It concluded with 14 adopted resolutions geared towards halting the progression of the triple planetary crisis.
The resolutions aim to strengthen actions for nature and achieve the SDGs by 2030.
One significant resolution of UNEA 5 was the adoption resolution 14: End plastic pollution: Towards an international legally binding instrument.
The resolution paves the path towards an international legally binding instrument on ending worldwide plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.