Nairobi — Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Dr. Deborah Barasa, used her national statement at the United Nations Climate Change 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) High-Level Segment to issue one of the strongest appeals yet for credible climate finance and concrete global action.
Addressing delegates in Belém, a city surrounded by the Amazon rainforest, Barasa framed both the moment and the venue as a critical reminder that the climate crisis is advancing faster than global responses.
She opened by reflecting on the Amazon as "a living symbol of what humanity risks losing and what we must fight to protect," warning that the world's largest tropical rainforest now stands as evidence of vanishing time and accelerating environmental decline.
Barasa then turned attention to Africa's position heading into COP30. She said the continent had come to Belém "with clarity and with urgency," underscoring that despite being the least responsible for the climate crisis, African nations continue to face some of its most severe effects.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
Droughts, destructive flooding, and extreme heat, she noted, have become deeply embedded in the daily experience of millions, weakening development progress and stretching economies to their limits.
These impacts, she insisted, are not predictions but "the lived reality of a continent already in the eye of the storm." She reiterated Africa's demand for formal recognition of its special needs and special circumstances, arguing that fairness requires decisions that reflect real conditions on the ground and guide the support Africa requires to respond effectively.
On adaptation, Barasa called for clear, measurable indicators under the Global Goal, saying the goal cannot remain abstract. She highlighted Africa's expectation that adaptation must reflect the full scope of resilience needs, including infrastructure, food systems, health, ecosystems, and gender equality.
Her message on finance was direct and urgent. Barasa cautioned that adaptation cannot continue to be treated as "the poor cousin of climate action, underfunded, vaguely defined, and perpetually delayed." She reminded delegates that developing nations, including the least developed countries (LDCs) , have demanded a tripling of adaptation finance, with Africa fully aligned on this call. Crucially, she stressed that support must be scaled-up, predictable and predominantly grant-based, warning that new financing mechanisms must not add to the debt burdens already constraining African economies.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The Environment Minister framed climate finance as the ultimate test of global solidarity. She referenced the commitment made in Baku, USD 1.3 trillion annually by 2035, and urged countries in Belém to turn that target into tangible financing through the Baku-to-Belém roadmap. On loss and damage, she said plainly that communities devastated by climate-driven disasters "cannot rebuild on promises."
In addition to finance, she pressed for technology equity, calling for genuine technology transfer, investment in regional innovation hubs, and the removal of intellectual-property barriers that prevent Africa from manufacturing its own low-carbon solutions. Africa, she emphasised, cannot remain dependent on imported technologies.
Barasa also advocated for a just transition that protects workers and communities, signalling Kenya's support for the establishment of an African Just Transition Technical Assistance Network. She cautioned against unilateral trade actions that could marginalise African economies or obstruct access to emerging green markets.
Across her statement, Barasa's message was steady and unmistakable: Africa needs real finance and real action, not new pledges that fail to reach the ground.
