RAILA URGES DEVELOPED NATIONS TO FULFILL $100 BILLION CLIMATE FINANCE PLEDGE AT NAIROBI SUMMIT
Raila Odinga gave a maiden speech at the opening address of a consultative conference on the African Green Climate Finances National Designated Authorities Network (AFDAN) and Building Climate Resilience of the Urban Poor (BCRUP) meeting in Nairobi on August 22.
He said there was an urgent need for developed countries to meet their promise on climate financial solutions of $100 billion.
“While climate finance has been with us here from one conference of the parties to another, partners are reminded to respect their commitments and make the $100 billion promised available to assist developing countries to cope with the challenge of climate change.”
Though these billions are from numerous international commitments, Raila mentioned that they were yet to be fully disbursed.
This makes the poor in Africa and other developing nations continue to bear the brutal brunt of the climatic crisis.
According to him, sub-Saharan Africa continues to face a myriad of challenges associated with climate change: disasters that have affected the poorest and most vulnerable segments in society, be they in the rural or urban context.
“These are the most vulnerable populations that require a financial support mechanism that has to be built urgently to ensure resilience against the adverse impact of climate change,” emphasized Raila.
He also mentioned the problems African countries that have access to available climate finance face.
“We as a continent still have a challenge with access to some of the climate finance sources such as GCF, GEF, LDCF, Adaptation Fund, CIF, and bilateral and multilateral development partners,” said Odinga. He described 4% as being “way below impactful finance” for Africa’s access to these funds.
In November 2022, President William Ruto called upon world leaders to factor in their commitment of over Ksh12 trillion.
President Ruto spoke in Cairo, Egypt, during a meeting that was being attended by the Summit of the International High-Level Panel on Water Investment for Africa.
He said: “The African continent, though, and Kenya have swallowed the bitter pill of the negative effects of the climate change crisis.”
World leaders have been urged not to take a wait-and-see attitude, because the disasters related to climate change would wipe out the continent.
