Kenya pushes new urban climate resilience framework for Africa at UNGA

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 26 — Kenya has unveiled a new framework aimed at mobilising climate finance for vulnerable urban communities across Africa, as the country seeks to link its international diplomacy to practical responses to climate change, poverty and rapid urbanization.

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi announced three instruments under the Building Climate Resilience with the Urban Poor (BCRUP) initiative during Kenya’s participation in the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The instruments include the BCRUP Governance Structure, Operational Framework and Resource Mobilisation Strategy, the Green Climate Fund-supported BCRUP Regional Readiness Project in Africa, and the BCRUP–Joint SDG Fund Project.

“I am pleased to unveil three instruments: The BCRUP Governance Structure, Operational Framework and Resource Mobilisation Strategy, the Green Climate Fund-supported BCRUP Regional Readiness Project in Africa, and the BCRUP–Joint SDG Fund Project,” Mudavadi said in a statement Friday.

The initiative places urban resilience among Kenya’s priorities in its climate diplomacy, linking climate change with housing, poverty reduction and resilient infrastructure.

Kenya used the UNGA platform to advance its wider campaign for greater access to affordable development finance, arguing that developing countries require long-term and local-currency financing to support productive investment, infrastructure, education, health, energy and industrialisation.

Mudavadi said Kenya’s participation in the General Assembly was intended to translate foreign policy into economic and development outcomes, with climate action forming part of a broader diplomatic push covering investment, technology, industrialisation and sustainable development.

The BCRUP initiative was unveiled alongside Kenya’s efforts to strengthen Africa’s common climate position ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, with Nairobi also preparing to host the Clean Cooking Summit in January 2027.

Kenya, which currently coordinates the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change, used the UNGA meetings to mobilise political and financial support for African climate priorities.

The country also signed a Host Country Agreement for the establishment of the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa East African Regional Office in Nairobi, further expanding the city’s role in regional climate, development and multilateral initiatives.

Beyond climate diplomacy, Kenya used the UNGA week to pursue investment and industrialisation opportunities.

President William Ruto held discussions with Aliko Dangote and African Finance Corporation President Samaila Zubairu on the proposed East African refinery in Kenya and the establishment of an AFC regional office in Nairobi.

Kenya and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization also signed a Country Partnership Programme for 2026–2030, with approximately $750 million in associated investment opportunities covering industrial investment, technology transfer, manufacturing, enterprise development and jobs.

The delegation also advanced partnerships in artificial intelligence, digital transformation and data governance, including cooperation with the Emerging Markets Working Group at Stanford University and a Joint Declaration on Responsible AI, Research and Innovation with Anthropic.

On development finance, Kenya placed the cost of capital at the centre of its UNGA diplomacy, pressing for financing arrangements that would enable developing countries to invest in infrastructure and productive sectors without facing prohibitive borrowing costs.

Mudavadi said the broader objective was to ensure that foreign policy contributes directly to national development.

“The next priority is implementation—translating commitments into investment, jobs, technology transfer, stronger institutions and tangible benefits for the Kenyan people,” he said.

The UNGA engagements also saw Kenya advance diplomatic relations with the Solomon Islands and political consultations with Maldives, North Macedonia, Croatia and Trinidad and Tobago, while pursuing international judicial candidatures for Judges Njoki Ndung’u and Phoebe Okowa.

Kenya further advanced its diaspora engagement agenda through the signing of a declaration of intent for the proposed Kenya Diaspora Investment and Participation (KDIP) platform, designed to provide a single digital entry point for Kenyans abroad to invest, support county projects, volunteer skills and establish businesses.

Mudavadi said the combined engagements demonstrated an attempt to make foreign policy a tool for economic transformation rather than an undertaking confined to traditional diplomacy.