President William Ruto Thursday called on the United Nations Environment Assembly to act on COP30’s declaration that the green transition is irreversible.
He said the Assembly must turn this declaration into concrete and practical outcomes that address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
He asked the assembly to define the environmental guardrails for a new era of economic transition, where artificial intelligence, digital technologies and electrification are reshaping how nations produce, work and trade.
He explained that if this transformation is not aligned with environmental protection, equity and human dignity, the world risks building a new high-tech economy on the old foundations of extraction, exclusion and pollution.
“I urge this assembly to rise to the occasion and take decisions that can be felt in people’s lives and seen in our natural world. In doing so, we protect citizens, future generations and all life that depends on this planet,” he said.
He made the remarks when he addressed the 7th Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in Gigiri, United Nations Office in Nairobi.
Ruto called on Member States to back environmental commitments with stronger support for the United Nations Environment Programme and provide the resources needed.
He pointed out the need to support countries required to safeguard global public goods while struggling with poverty and limited fiscal space.
He said that Kenya has been compelled to declare a national drought emergency in 20 counties, with 2.5 million citizens at the risk of severe hunger and water scarcity as delayed rains and climate stresses devastated crops and livestock.
“Across our continent, from failed harvests to destructive floods, from intensifying storms to conflicts worsened by resource scarcity, Africans are paying the price for a crisis they did not create,” he said.
Despite these challenges, Ruto said Africa will continue to show leadership in climate ambition and remain at the forefront of shaping the necessary solutions.
He pointed out that the continent envisions a future anchored in a modern, digital and green economy powered by renewable energy, driven by innovation and protected from climate risks from the outset.
“Our task is to ensure that every investment in industry, infrastructure and technology reinforces resilience, protects nature and creates opportunities for people,” he said.
Ruto said environmental action and economic transformation must move together, noting that nations can separate growth from emissions and pollution while creating new jobs, industries and markets.
“But this transformation must be fair, accessible and affordable. It cannot succeed if countries in the Global South are asked to protect the planet while their people sink deeper into hardship,” he said.
Next year, Ruto said, will be transformative as Kenya hosts the 11th ‘Our Ocean Conference’ to rally commitments for the blue economy, sustainable fisheries, marine restoration, ocean finance, blue carbon ecosystems, and coastal protection.
He announced that Kenya will also host the International Clean Cooking Summit, recognising clean cooking as a public health, gender, development and climate priority.
On plastic pollution, he said Kenya remains fully committed to an agreement that addresses the crisis, noting that plastics now contaminate soils, rivers, oceans, food and even humans.
He commended the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the progress it has made, saying Kenya stands ready to host a resumed session of the committee at UNEP headquarters.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, in a video message, called for investment in environmental sustainability for collective global well-being.
“Peace, prosperity and equality – none of these exist without a planet to exist on,” he said.
United Nations Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen noted that undermining environmental conservation undermines future economies and societies.
She said everyone will benefit from a sustainable, resilient, and pollution-free planet.
United Nations Environment Assembly President Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Amri, who is also the President of the Environment Authority of the Sultanate of Oman, called on the assembly to work towards renewing trust in multilateral systems and focus on protecting the environment because it is the basis of sustainable development.
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