Alliance for Science launches the Climate Action Zone

Alliance for Science launched the Climate Action Zone (CAZ) in collaboration with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the Africa Development Bank, The Green Climate Fund, The International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), and TEAR Fund.

This event is designed to complement the Africa Climate Summit, which will take place in Nairobi from September 4th - 6th.

This dynamic platform aims to bring attention to locally-driven climate initiatives throughout Africa.

The venue for the Climate Action Zone will be the Radisson Blu Hotel in Upperhill, Nairobi.

This dedicated space at the Radisson Blu Hotel will allow partners to focus on climate action to accelerate progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Dr. Sheila Ochugboju, Executive Director of Alliance for Science, said: “The Climate Action Zone is designed to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related challenges. We want to provide a space for youth, farmers, and women to engage in conversations about the available solutions for mitigating the effects of climate change.”

The Climate Action Zone is intentionally crafted to be inclusive and youth-centric, facilitating open and candid discussions on topics that might need to be more prominent during the main Summit's agenda.

Speaking at the launch, Janet Macharia from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the climate action zone will provide an opportunity to interrogate gender-differentiated impacts of climate change, focusing on solutions.

“It is time to show the world that women are at the forefront of climate change adaptation and that Africa is moving forward in implementing mitigation measures,” she said.

This media briefing was for sharing the principal highlights and goals of the Climate Action Zone, underscoring the Alliance for Science’s dedication to fostering comprehensive dialogues regarding climate actions from various perspectives.

Speaking on behalf of Phillip Thigo, Executive Director of Thunderbird School of Global Management, Kate Idwasi said Thunderbird played a pivotal role in rallying support for President William Ruto’s climate action, education, creative economy, and space initiatives.

“During that event, we made substantial commitments that include generating momentum and concrete action around the Africa Climate Summit and the President’s climate agenda,” she added.

“Climate change is an existential threat, necessitating collective efforts from academia, civil society industry, and governments to realize their nationally determined contributions.”

The event will be a platform to harness solutions and advanced carbon accounting methods through discussions with the Africa Green Building Summit, Mama Doing Good, and South-South Collaboration. 

Dr. Ochugboju urged key partners to come together during the climate action zone in support of the climate action agenda.