Belém, Brazil — Kenya’s Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Deborah Mulongo Barasa, presented Kenya’s and Africa’s joint climate position on Tuesday during the opening of the COP30 High-Level Segment, issuing a strong appeal for climate justice and accelerated global action.
Addressing delegates in Belém, Dr. Barasa spoke from the Amazon rainforest, describing the location as a powerful reminder of what is at risk if the world fails to act decisively.
She said she carried the expectations of both Kenya and the African continent, which continues to experience the heaviest impacts of climate change despite contributing the least to global emissions.
Dr. Barasa highlighted the growing challenges facing African communities, including failed rains, devastating floods, and extreme heat. She noted that these conditions have placed Africa at the centre of the climate crisis and insisted that the continent’s needs must be treated as an issue of justice rather than charity.
A key part of her statement focused on the need to finalize a credible Global Goal on Adaptation with clear, measurable indicators covering food systems, ecosystems, health, and gender equality. “Adaptation cannot continue to be the poor cousin of climate action, underfunded, vaguely defined, and perpetually delayed.”The CS also called for tripled, predictable, and grant-based adaptation finance, saying adaptation remains the most neglected pillar of climate action.
She urged countries to ensure that commitments made on the Baku-to-Belém roadmap translate into concrete improvements in people’s lives.
Dr. Barasa reaffirmed Africa’s priorities, including fair access to climate technologies, a just transition that safeguards workers, and gender-responsive climate policies. “Climate finance remains the defining test of global solidarity.” She noted that long-standing inequalities must be addressed to ensure climate solutions benefit all communities.
She urged countries to operationalize the USD 1.3 trillion annual target by 2035, agreed in Baku, Azerbaijan at COP29, and demanded transparency and predictable, grant-based funding that does not worsen debt burdens.
Addressing loss and damage an issue at the centre of climate negotiations Dr. Barasa issued one of her most resonant statements: “Communities already broken by climate-driven disasters cannot rebuild on promises.”
She called for robust operationalization of the loss and damage fund and long-term commitments to support countries experiencing irreversible climate impacts.
Dr. Barasa highlighted the disproportionate burdens borne by women across Africa from securing food and collecting water to supporting families displaced by extreme weather.
One of the most widely applauded sections of her address focused on women’s experiences under climate stress.
She called for a strengthened Gender Action Plan at COP30, one that goes beyond symbolic recognition and confronts the structural inequalities driving vulnerability, including patriarchal barriers.
Her message added to growing calls for COP30 to deliver meaningful outcomes, with observers noting renewed determination in the plenary following her address.
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