‘Inadequate funding hampering fight against impacts of climate change in Africa’ – Ruto
President William Ruto has blamed the lack of funding for the failing fight against the impacts of climate change in Africa.
Speaking on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, at the end of the Africa Climate Summit, Ruto drummed support for Kenya's initiative on building resilience for the urban poor.
"Adequate financing remains a primary weakness, which leaves many countries unprepared to confront the impacts of climate change, whose incidence is disproportionate in comparison with our documented emissions contribution, as well as their equally disproportionate adverse impact on the urban poor," Ruto stated.
Ruto says that an initiative to build resilience and enhance the adaptive capacity of the urban poor is a vital component that must be integrated into the climate action and emergency response agenda.
"Over a billion people now live in informal settlements, meaning that they lack the advantage of access to the superior amenities and infrastructures that come with residing in cities, and are therefore vulnerable to various shocks and stresses. This is in addition to lacking both access and the capacity to utilize existing opportunities for self-advancement," Ruto said.
"Due to their circumstances, the urban poor live and struggle for livelihoods in informal settlements, making them climate-vulnerable and consistently susceptible to external shocks and disasters, as demonstrated in numerous disasters. By definition, the urban poor also lack the resources to invest in adaptations necessary for them to cope with the impacts of climate-related shocks and stresses."
Through the Building Climate Resilience for the Urban Poor (BCRUP) initiative launched four years ago, Ruto says that African countries will be able to implement effective interventions aimed at enhancing climate adaptation in the midst of the explosive growth of urbanization.
"I invite all stakeholders with an interest in building more sustainable and inclusive urban areas to seriously consider the aims and purpose of BCRUP, and to support its efforts to ease the burden of climate change on the segment of our populations that is least able to respond to it," he added.
BCRUP Initiative is one of 41 initiatives launched at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit in New York. It promotes a collaborative approach to help millions of people adapt to climate change and is co-led by the Governments of Kenya and Brazil.
