Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry Aden Duale on Saturday night, September 21, 2024, departed the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to attend the United Nations General Assembly’s 79th session in New York.
Duale is expected to brief President William Ruto on the environmental concerns of the country, including initiatives aimed at tackling consequences brought about by climate change.
“Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale on Saturday departed for New York to participate in the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly,” a statement from the Ministry noted.
This year’s UNGA session has the overriding theme of ‘Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development, and human dignity for present and future generations’.
A statement from State House spokesperson Hussein Mohammed on Friday, September 20, 2024, noted that Ruto is set to address the assembly on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, and address the emerging issues in climate change in developing countries.
The communication also highlighted that Ruto would meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and discuss the bilateral partnerships and ongoing projects at the United Nations Environmental Programmes (UNEP), which is headquartered in Nairobi.
Haiti mission
Similarly, Ruto will be discussing the involvement of Kenya in the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti, where 80 per cent of the capital Port-au-Prince is still under the control of organised gangs.
According to a report by the International Organisation for Migration, 578,000 Haitians were displaced from their homes as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Caribbean nation as of August 2024.
In his address to the Kenyan policemen in Haiti on Saturday, September 21, 2024, Ruto stated that he was proud of their efforts to restore peace to the troubled nation.
“I am proud to observe that upon deployment, you promptly commenced operations, consistently exceeded expectations in the performance of your duties, and exhibited courage, integrity, and professionalism,” Ruto said.
Ruto observed that while Kenya’s involvement in the mission was treated with skepticism, the presence of the Kenyan troops in Haiti had brought back the confidence of nationals who had initially fled their homeland.
Also, he assured the policemen that additional equipment would be soon available to them to help in their efforts to reclaim public infrastructure and territories from the control of armed gangs.
The mission commander, Godfrey Otunge, has on several occasions decried the inadequacy of tactical equipment, including choppers, to help in evacuation and insertion missions.
