France President Emmanuel Macron has praised his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto, for his initiative to host the inaugural African Climate Summit scheduled for September 4.
Speaking during a meeting with ambassadors in France, Macron, on Tuesday, noted that the meeting was timely, adding that the continent and the world would benefit largely from its recommendations.
Macron offered to support the meeting even as he likened it to the Paris Agreement, which is an internationally binding contract on climate change.
The Paris Agreement was adopted by 196 Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016. It aimed to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Nairobi's African Climate Summit, Macron stated, would advocate for the Loss and Damage Fund that would ensure developing nations receive financial assistance to deal with the negative consequences that arise from the unavoidable risks of climate change.
"President Emmanuel Macron stressed that the Nairobi summit is in line with France's agenda on climate and biodiversity, which will be a major discussion point leading up to COP28 from November 30 to December 12, 2023, at Expo City, Dubai.
"The President also linked the Nairobi climate summit to the Paris Climate Pact, which will set up new mechanisms for raising funds from the World Bank, the IMF and the private sector," read the French embassy statement in part.
Notably, Ruto has been pushing for a new funding model that will address the challenges of climate change and changes in loan conditions given to African countries.
Macron also underpinned that France was seeking to boost security agreements with Kenya in addressing challenges posed by militia groups such as Al Shabaab.
The Africa Climate Summit will be held at the Kenyatta International Conference Center (KICC), with over 24 heads of state expected to be in attendance.
According to a Cabinet dispatch dated Tuesday, August 30, over 30,000 international delegates will also be in attendance.
African leaders are expected to come up with proposals, adopt a common policy over climate change, and discuss financial models between Africa and other developed continents, such as Europe.
"The inaugural Africa Climate Summit, championed by HE President Ruto, aims to address the increasing exposure to climate change and its associated costs, both globally and particularly in Africa," read the Summit statement in part.
