Kenya Strengthens UNDP Partnership to Advance Climate Action and Biodiversity

Kenya has taken a decisive step in reinforcing its environmental agenda, formalising a deeper working relationship with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to accelerate progress on climate action, environmental sustainability, and the conservation of the country's rich biodiversity. The move signals the government's growing resolve to meet both local and global green commitments.

Principal Secretary Festus Ngeno sat down with a senior UNDP delegation on Wednesday, led by Resident Representative Jean-Luc Stalon, for high-level talks aimed at advancing strategic environmental cooperation. At the heart of the discussions was how the two sides can jointly bolster resilience in communities most exposed to climate shocks and scale up biodiversity conservation initiatives across the country.

One of the standout programmes reviewed during the meeting was the IMKA Gold Project, currently being implemented across Kakamega, Vihiga, Narok, and Migori counties. The initiative is scheduled to conclude in May 2026, and project sites will undergo formal commissioning during the closeout phase — a milestone that underscores the tangible, on-the-ground impact of the Kenya-UNDP collaboration.

The talks also turned to UNDP-supported data collection efforts in areas most exposed to climate-related losses. Trained enumerators working in these vulnerable regions are building the evidence base Kenya needs to access the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. PS Ngeno stressed the importance of channelling this data into Kenya's initial climate loss and damage report, which will build on assessments conducted back in 2020 — giving the country a stronger hand at international climate finance negotiations.

PS Ngeno further welcomed UNDP's role in bringing stakeholders together for the BIOFIN Conference, set for April 28, 2026. The gathering will convene government officials and sector players to push forward implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Core priorities on the table include revising national biodiversity strategies, aligning local targets with the global framework, unlocking financing for nature-based solutions, and embedding biodiversity considerations firmly within agriculture and other key economic sectors.

Kenya's environmental diary over the coming weeks is a full one. The International Day for Biological Diversity will be marked on May 22 in Elgeyo Marakwet, while the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought follows on June 17 in Kilifi. Mombasa will then play host to the prestigious Oceans Conference from June 16 to 18 — each event offering Kenya a platform to demonstrate its seriousness about the global sustainability agenda and to position itself as a continental leader in environmental governance.