Kenya is rooting for the strengthening of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), one of the two UN institutions hosted by Kenya in Nairobi.
The other one is UN Habitat also housed in the expansive United Nations Complex in Gigiri.
Speaking at the closing session of the 6th UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) on Friday evening, Environment, Climate and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya said we must remain true to the spirit of consolidating and strengthening the UNEP functions in Nairobi as agreed at the Rio+20 Summit some eleven (11) years ago.
“This is important to enable this forum and its anchor body, UNEP, discharge their mandates effectively to all of us,” CS Tuya said.
The Cabinet Secretary said Kenya was deeply committed to multilateralism as one of the ways to effectively address the global climate crisis and thanked the over 5,000 delegates for a successful UNEA-6 held from 26th to 1st March.
“The last two weeks have been extremely busy and demanding on all of us. We have had very tenacious yet productive negotiations on some 20 resolutions, and 2 decisions of global import,” CS Tuya said.
“As was stated by my President yesterday, I reaffirm the commitment of the Government of Kenya in working with all to make multilateralism more effective, inclusive and sustainable.
“This is important to enable the world tackle the numerous and ever increasing multi-faceted challenges in the environment domain,” the Cabinet Secretary emphasized.
CS Tuya said UNEA-6 theme, ‘effective, inclusive and sustainable multilateral actions to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution’, mirrored the challenges facing the world, noting that it had taken great sacrifice on the part of the delegates to agree on the meeting’s resolutions.
“While I recognise that it was not easy, we managed to collectively build consensus on the ministerial declaration and a greater majority of the resolutions. I equally note that some resolutions were withdrawn in the spirit of keeping everyone on board.
“Multilateralism has proven to work, and the Nairobi Spirit of consensus building has prevailed. I thank each and everyone of you for making it possible,” she said.
At the same time CS Tuya, thanked UNEP for holding high-level dialogues on synergies between UN institution, Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and science policy interface saying the meetings were necessary for impactful outcomes at country level.
The Cabinet Secretary, who was accompanied to the closing ceremony by her Ministry’s head of MEAs Linda Kosgei, urged UNEP to organize more of such interactive dialogues in future UNEA sessions in order to help bridge existing policy gaps and inconsistencies.
CS Tuya thanked Leila Benali, President of UNEA-6 and Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development of the Kingdom of Morocco for a successful meeting, and congratulated Abdullah Bin Ali Amri, Chairman of the Environment Authority of the Sultanate of Oman for being elected President of UNEA-7 scheduled for 8th to 12th December next year in Nairobi.
“Kenya thanks the outgoing UNEA 6 Presidency, the Kingdom of Morocco, together with the bureau for running the affairs of this session in an extraordinary manner. I also extend appreciations to the Executive Director, Inger Anderson and her team for facilitating this very important intergovernmental process.
“To the Government of Oman, Kenya extends sincere congratulations on your election as the incoming President of UNEA-7. I equally congratulate the entire members of the UNEA-7 bureau,” CS Tuya concluded.
