Nairobi hosted the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), the top most global organ of the United Nations on the Environment issues and made up of 193 member states, from 26th February to 1st March 2024. The UNEA was launched in 2014 and in the meeting, some nineteen resolutions critical to the preventing the faster spread of desertification and countering air pollution. The conference will be held under the theme “Effective, Inclusive and sustainable Multilateral actions to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution”. The theme addresses the triple crises that have continued to pos the greatest danger to the planet namely – climate change, nature and biodiversity loss and pollution and waste management. The meeting is expected to be attended by Heads of States and over 5000 delegations representing Governments, civil society, and private sector and through the conference discuss and help in addressing some of the most challenging global environmental challenges. Discussions will be centred on how multilateralism – including the importance of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEA) and now the concept can address the triple issues and also how technology and financing mechanisms can be factored in to solve these problems to save the planet.
It is estimated that 3.6 billion hectares representing 70 percent of the total 5.2 billion hectares of the potentially productive drylands globally are being threatened daily by various forms of land degradation or desertification. This trend affects directly the well-being and livelihoods of about 1/6 of the total world population. It is estimated that a third of the soil in the world has been moderately to highly degraded. This threatens the supply of food in the world, and mining is one of the major challenges associated with degradation. The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD), of which Kenya is a signatory, recognizes land degradation as a global development and environment issue. “It is estimated that 30 percent of Kenya has been affected by very severe land degradation, an estimated 12 million people, or a third of the Kenya’s population, depended directly on land that is being degraded. Droughts and other human activities accelerated soil degradation and reduced per-capita food production.
Climate change caused by significant variation of average weather conditions over several decades or longer. There is need to mitigate and address issues of climate change and global warming. Kenya National Adaptation plan (2015-2030) and the National Climate Change response strategy recognize that climatic change causes water scarcity, extreme and intense weather conditions like flooding and heat waves, leading to huge loss of biodiversity, migration, conflicts and health threats due to emerging disease resistant conditions, which harms countries like Kenya that rely on natural resources. Dr Giti is an urban management, public – private partnerships (PPP) and environment specialist. mutegigiti@gmail.com , @danielgiti
Dr. Daniel Mutegi Giti 