In a move that is set to raise many eyebrows, President William Ruto is set to skip the COP29 climate summit slated for next week.
The president has instead opted to send Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Climate, and Forestry Aden Duale to represent him at the global summit in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Sources from the State House confirmed the new development, as Ruto was initially meant to attend the United Nations conference. Ruto’s intended sojourn to Azerbaijan would have been the third trip out of the country in the span of a week after prior trips made to South Sudan and Ethiopia.
Since September 2024, Ruto has made eight trips outside the country. His frequent travels have drawn mixed reactions back home with many Kenyans expressing frustration over the President’s focus on international matters while pressing domestic concerns remain unresolved.
Ruto was set to deliver an address in the first part of the high-level segment during the World Leaders Climate Action Summit (WLCAS) that is set to run from Tuesday, November 12, to Wednesday, November 13. CS Duale now looks set to deliver the president's address on his behalf.
“The first part of the high-level segment (HLS) of COP29/CMP19/CMA6 will be held during the World Leaders Climate Action Summit (WCLAS) from Tuesday to Wednesday, and will hear national statements from Heads of State and Government (HSO/G), Vice Presidents and Crown Princes who have registered and confirmed their wish to deliver a statement,” the official statement released by the United Nations Climate Change Programme read.
The COP29 summit is set to run from Monday, November 11 to Friday, November 22 2024 with the theme being “Investing in a livable planet for all.” The main agenda is finance as the UN reiterates the continuous need to invest significant sums of money to drastically reduce greenhouse emissions and protect lives and livelihoods from the worsening impacts of climate change.
The conference will also be a key moment for countries to present their updated national climate action plans under the Paris Agreement, which are due by early 2025. If done right, these plans would limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and double as investment plans advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.
In preparation for the trip, Ruto had been imploring other African heads of state and government together and have a common message as they head to Baku. In his role as the chair of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), Ruto had reiterated that Africa’s agenda at the climate summit should be to push for a new and equitable financing mechanism.
During an extraordinary CAHOSCC meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting in New York, Ruto asserted that Africa must push for an increase in global investment in the energy transition from the current three per cent to effectively support climate adaptation. He noted that the new financing must match the urgency and scale of the climate crisis and adequately address the needs of Africa and other developing nations.
The President had claimed that meaningful investments in Africa’s resources, whether in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, green transport or nature-based solutions, are key to ensuring effective climate adaptation.
“These investments will enable low carbon, climate-resilient development, not only for Africa but also for the global community,” he claimed.
The President also called on Africa to continue advocating debt sustainability and reform of the international financial system to ensure climate justice.
“As climate-related shocks become more frequent and severe, coupled with high debt servicing, government spending on green resilience is constrained,” he said.
