Africa to take one stand on security, climate change and peace issues

President William Ruto has welcomed plans by Africa to take a common position on climate change, peace and security issues facing the continent.

This comes ahead of the Conference of Parties 29 (COP29) to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan between November 11 to October 22, 2024.

In a speech read on his behalf by Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale, Ruto said Kenya views the development of a common position as a necessary step in enhancing awareness and collaboration.

“The Government of Kenya supports the objectives of this meeting as outlined in the concept note. We support the interrogation and validation of the Draft Common African Position on Climate Change, Peace and Security and encourage participants to share their various experiences from the various Regional  Economic Communities (RECs) represented here,” he said.

“The common position will help to bridge policy gaps, attract much-needed climate finance, and enhance our collective decision-making processes in matters of climate and security," he added.

Ruto, who is also the Chairperson of the Committee of the African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), was speaking during the official opening of the three-day African Union member states consultation meeting at Windsor Hotel.

The Head of State said as a “threat multiplier,” climate-related security risks and threats have intensified health, food and nutrition, water, and energy insecurities across Africa.

“The nexus between climate change, peace, and security is self-evident. Prolonged drought, devastating floods, and storms have wreaked havoc, inflicted massive displacement, induced migration, caused deaths and lost livelihoods, triggered pandemics and other diseases, and created untold economic shocks,” he said.

Kenya from 2021 to 2022 experienced the worst drought in 40 years. Ruto said the two consecutive years without rainfall caused misery to millions of people.

“Kenya lost 2.5 million livestock and economic losses resulting from the drought reached more than USD1.5 billion (Sh193 billion)," he said.

“Our home region of the Horn of Africa is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Climatic projections show that over the next 15 years, the Igad region is set to heat up twice as fast as the global average," Ruto added.

The President said extreme weather, erratic rainfall patterns, prolonged drought and severe flooding are no longer distant threats, but ever-present realities ravaging livelihoods.

“The broader socio-economic fabric of the Horn of Africa is intricately interwoven with climate change. The region's agricultural sector, a vital component of our economies, faces increased unpredictability due to shifting weather patterns,” said Ruto.  

“This ultimately undermines food and nutrition security, the key facets of human security. Crop failures and reduced agricultural productivity result in economic instability, loss of income, and rising poverty rates,” he added.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Ambassador Gertrude Angote, said during the upcoming COP29, Africa will present five priorities among them climate finance, with calls for the adoption of a new financing model, adaptation, and full operationalisation of the Loss And Damage Fund.

African Union Commission's Director for Conflict Management Sarjoh Bah said in May 2018, that the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU PSC) requested AUC to conduct a study titled "The Link Between Climate Change and Conflicts in Africa and Addressing the Security Implications."

The efforts resulted in a comprehensive study titled "Africa Climate Security Risk Assessment (ACRA)” that will be released during the three-day meeting and report of the AUC Chairperson on Climate, Peace and Security Nexus, which both will inform the development of the common African position on climate change, peace and security.