Kenya to set up climate change panel
The government will set up a panel to monitor and follow up on recommendations reached at all climate change conferences and negotiations, Prime Minister Raila Odinga has said. The PM told the Kenyan delegation to COP 16 in Cancun, Mexico, that such a panel would ensure proper coordination of Kenya’s position on all climate change issues. The panel will also spell out Kenya’s objectives and strategies to attain them in future climate change conferences, the PM said. Speaking after a briefing session with the Kenyan delegation to COP 16, which included government officials, non-governmental organisations and climate activists, the PM asked the delegates to focus on the country’s interests and pursue them relentlessly. The PM said that while climate change threatens humanity as a whole, each nation is approaching the talks with its strategic national interests in mind and Kenya should not be different. “When you see leaders coming here and convening small meetings with others before moving on to the bigger negotiating table, they are doing it because they know what is good for their country and they want to persuade others to accept it. We are here to seek what is good for Kenya. We must never lose sight of that,” the PM said. Earlier, the Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Gender Equality Ms Lykke Friis, pledged that her country will support Kenya’s position at the talks, saying climate change will be a major area of collaboration between Kenya and Denmark. The Minister promised to lobby EU states to work with Kenya on climate change issues. The Prime Minister will address the panel on Wednesday afternoon where he will present Kenya’s position on a number of issues including those agreed on during COP 15 in Copenhagen. He is accompanied to the conference by Forestry and Wildlife minister Dr Noah Wekesa, Environment assistant minister Prof Margaret Kamar and a number of government officials.