President Mwai Kibaki has appealed to world leaders to support the strengthening of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) headquarters based in Nairobi.
Addressing the high-level segment of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen, Denmark, Kibaki expressed Kenya’s readiness to host an upgraded UNEP that will effectively spearhead global efforts towards environmental conservation.
“We stand ready to host a revamped UNEP that will have the mandate to help lead the global fight against environmental degradation,” Kibaki said.
The President, once again, restated Kenya’s commitment to environmental conservation, saying Government efforts to address climate change concerns have been stepped up including the formulation of a National Climate Change Response Strategy which details key measures and a resource mobilization plan.
Kibaki added that through relevant ministries, the Government has developed a program that will guide an environmental investment plan at an estimated cost of $2.2 billion per year over a 20 year period.
In this regard, the President said Kenya is set to achieve an increased forest cover from the current 2 percent to 10 percent by the year 2030.
The Head of State said, as part of his Government’s environmental investment blueprint, Kenya also plans to shift to a low carbon emission development pathway as its contribution to the fight against climate change.
“We are also committed to making further investments in renewable energy technologies such as wind and geothermal power production,” the Head of State pointed out in a statement copied to APA.
He estimated the cost for green energy production in Kenya is 25 billion U.S. dollars over the next 21 years, and underscored the need for transfer of technologies, financing and capacity building.
Kibaki restated Kenya’s support for the African position on Climate Change which is guided by the Bali Roadmap with its five pillars of adaptation, mitigation, technology transfer, capacity building and finance.
The President, particularly, underscored Africa’s stand to give top priority to adaptation programs that are funded predictably and sufficiently.
Source African Press Agency
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