One Planet Summit Nairobi: Africa’s Pledge (14 march 2019) [fr]
One Planet Summit brings policy makers and economic players together around a common ambition – to offer and apply concrete solutions to accelerate the transition towards a low-carbon economy and the adaptation to climate change.
Building on previous One Planet events (Paris, December 2017 and New York, September 2018), this third edition of the One Planet Summit was held on the UN Compound in Nairobi, on March 14th, 2019.
While Africa is responsible for only 4% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, 65% of the African population is directly impacted by climate change.
Numerous actions and initiatives are being carried out on the continent in order to face the challenges caused by climate change. The first regional edition of the One Planet Summit did highlight the unique role of Africa in putting forward innovative solutions for adaptation and resilience.
This Summit lasted a full day and bring together high-level officials, representatives from public institutions and local governments, CEOs, actors from civil society, to showcase concrete achievements and breakthrough initiatives.
The day’s objective: to mobilize public funding and private capital in order to insure the transition to a low-carbon society, and to deliver high-impact outcomes for African populations, while protecting biodiversity in Africa.
Read our feature on « Climate issues in Africa » on the France diplomatie website.
A High-Level Session
Co-chaired by Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Uhuru Kenyatta, the High-Level Session gathered Heads of State and Ministers already involved in One Planet Summit coalitions or heading a national delegation to United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA-4) as well as representatives of the finance and business sectors, local governments, civil society, and youth.
The session tackled two main issues:
- promoting renewable energy;
- fostering resilience, adaptation and biodiversity.
Resources and solutions for renewable energy already exist in Africa but there is a need to accelerate their financing and mainstream their development.
Similarly, there are a lot of solutions on the African continent concerning integrated land management, increased resilience for vulnerable populations and biodiversity protection.
Businesses and Partnerships
The summit has provided an opportunity to showcase the diversity and dynamism of African entrepreneurs through several “pitch sessions” celebrating the most innovative and impactful initiatives (including women entrepreneurship, digital and technological innovation, etc.). Development banks and OPS coalitions did also highlight “deals” and projects and invite new partners to join these initiatives.