Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Dr. Deborah Mulongo Barasa, drew sustained applause on Tuesday November 18, 2025 after delivering a firm, clear, and highly resonant national statement at the opening of the High-Level Segment at 30th Conference of the Parties (COP 30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Belém, Brazil ( COP30/CMP20/CMA7).
Speaking in the heart of the Amazon, “a living symbol of what humanity risks losing,” Dr. Barasa said as she delivered remarks that blended urgency, moral clarity, and a strong call for global climate justice.
Her words quickly emerged as one of the defining moments of the day, circulating widely among delegates and climate advocacy networks. “The Amazon surrounds us not as a comforting backdrop but as a reminder that our time to act is running dangerously short,” she added.
Dr. Barasa underscored Africa’s dual reality: being the least responsible for the climate crisis while suffering its deepest impacts. She detailed how rising heat, floods, and droughts have become part of everyday life for millions.
“Africa is in the eye of the storm. We are the continent least responsible for this crisis, yet we face its harshest consequences.”
She further asserted Africa’s position, saying, “This is not a plea for sympathy; it is a call for equity and fairness.” Observers say her articulation of Africa’s position, direct, principled, and grounded in lived experience, captured the room’s attention in a way few statements have this year.
A major focus of her message was the need for a concrete Global Goal on Adaptation, long debated but still without agreed indicators.
“Adaptation cannot continue to be the poor cousin of climate action, underfunded, vaguely defined, and perpetually delayed.” She called for a measurable framework reflecting the full spectrum of adaptation needs: resilient infrastructure, food systems, health, ecosystem protection, gender equality, and inclusion of marginalized groups.
Her call for tripling adaptation finance aligned firmly with the LDCs, drawing visible support from African and Pacific delegates.
Turning to climate finance, CS Barasa emphasized that the credibility of global climate cooperation depends on delivery. “Climate finance remains the defining test of global solidarity.”
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.
On loss and damage, she offered one of her most striking lines: “Communities already broken by climate-driven disasters cannot rebuild on promises.”
Barasa stressed that Africa cannot be limited to consuming imported solutions and called for investment in African innovation hubs, addressing intellectual property barriers, and strengthening the Technology Implementation Programme.
On the global shift away from carbon-intensive development, she announced Kenya’s support for an African Just Transition Technical Assistance Network, while warning against unilateral trade measures that could restrict African exports. “The shift away from carbon-intensive pathways must be fair, inclusive, and people-centred.”
One of the most applauded sections of her statement centred on women. “Women across Africa bear the heaviest burdens of climate change, from food insecurity to water scarcity, from caregiving to economic disruption.”
She urged COP30 to adopt an enhanced Gender Action Plan that goes beyond acknowledging gender issues to addressing structural inequalities, including patriarchal systems.
With the world watching Belém closely, Kenya’s message, firm, grounded, and boldly principled, has positioned Dr. Barasa as a compelling voice in the global climate debate.
