Press release
Minister Ryan attends African Climate Summit in Nairobi
From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, will join African and international colleagues at the Africa Climate Summit.
Minister Ryan’s visit to Nairobi comes as momentum builds towards COP28 which will be held in Dubai in December. This is the first African Climate Summit and has as its theme 'Africa Shaping the Future of Climate Solutions and Innovations'.
Over two days, Minister Ryan will undertake a series of engagements at the summit, including bilateral meetings with political counterparts. The Minister will also attend high-level events on topics that include: Climate Security; Energy Transition; and Adaptation.
Commenting on the Summit, Minister Ryan said:
"Its an honour to be able to attend the inaugural Africa Climate Summit here in Nairobi, which is an excellent opportunity to meet with my counterparts in Africa and hear from them directly on issues such as the green energy transition, adaptation and our shared ambitions for COP28. The African continent is the most vulnerable region to climate change. Despite only accounting for 2% to 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, African countries are suffering disproportionately from climate impacts."
For Ireland, this will be an opportunity to highlight ongoing engagement on the ground in Africa and, in particular, continuing commitment to addressing climate change. It will also be an opportunity to engage with African ministers and key international interlocutors on how to achieve ambitious outcomes at COP28.
Last year Minister Ryan was the lead EU negotiator on Loss and Damage. In follow-up, Ireland shares a seat with Germany on the international committee tasked with turning the loss and damage commitments from the last COP into action.
The Africa Summit also follows a number of international events which have already taken place this year in the lead up to COP28, including the major Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, which took place in Paris in June and International Statements (including Ireland) on progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which took place in New York in July, This will be followed with UN Summits on SDGs, Climate Finance and Loss and Damage during the UN General Assembly Week, 19-26 September 2023.
For further information, please visit the Africa Climate Summit website.
The Africa Climate Summit is a landmark event co-hosted by the Republic of Kenya and the African Union Commission (AUC). It brings together Heads of State and Government, policymakers, civil society organizations, the private sector, multilateral institutions, and youth to design and catalyse actions and solutions for climate change in Africa by providing a platform to deliberate on the nexus between climate change, Africa’s development reality, and the need to push for increased investment in climate action globally, and specifically in Africa.
The Africa Climate Summit welcomes participation from a wide range of stakeholders, including government representatives, policymakers, civil society organisations, the private sector, multilateral institutions, and youth representatives from Africa and beyond.
The Africa Climate Summit covers a wide range of topics, clustered into seven thematic areas: Nature Capital; Climate Finance; Renewable Energy and Energy Transition; Green Minerals and Manufacturing; Sustainable Agriculture, Land Use, Oceans and Water; Sustainable Infrastructure and Urbanisation and Adaptation and Resilience. These thematic areas form the summit's core focus, providing a comprehensive platform for addressing critical climate-related challenges and opportunities across the continent and beyond.