Kenya and India forge Green Partnerships at UNCCD COP16

By Robert Mutasi

Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry, Aden Duale reechoed the country's commitment toward environmental sustainability and international collaboration in a bilateral meeting that brought him together with Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav of India on innovative strategies that ensure environmental conservation for sustainable development.

This was on the sidelines of UNCCD COP16, the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

Key in their discussions was the Green Credit Programme of India, a pioneering initiative enlisting private sector partnerships for environmental stewardship while creating livelihoods within local communities.

Duale praised the dual focus on ecology and economics that this programme has, emphasizing its great potential to be a model in Kenya.

Another high-profile issue discussed was Kenya's ambitious 15-billion-tree initiative, which was launched during the leadership of President William Samoei Ruto.

It is in line with the larger environmental restoration agenda of the country and strives to achieve a 30% tree cover by 2032.

"Our tree-planting initiative is not just about reforestation but about transforming landscapes and livelihoods," Duale said, stressing the importance of this plan for tackling climate change and desertification.

The two ministers also discussed current waste management challenges and ways of collaboration in the circular economy.

Kenya's frameworks, such as the Extended Producer Responsibility regulations, were highlighted as key drivers of sustainability in waste handling and recycling.

Duale expressed Kenya's commitment to adopting innovative solutions and learning from India's successes in this domain.

Accompanying the Cabinet Secretary were other powerful officials, including Kenyan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mohamed Ramadhan Ruwange, Linda Kosgei-Head of Multilateral Environmental Agreements, Dr. Charles Lange of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) among other senior ministry representatives who joined him on this Mission.

Their presence reflected Kenya's whole-of-government approach to tackling environmental issues.

The meeting repositions Kenya on the global environmental platform as an active player, using its partnerships to tackle shared problems of deforestation, waste management, and climate change.

Both countries committed to continuing dialogue and joint projects toward finding sustainable solutions to enhance citizens' quality of life.