One Million Young People from the Kenyan Green Army to be Trained on Climate Adaptation and Leadership
N airobi, Kenya, 6th September 2023 – At the Africa Climate Summit, Kenya’s Minister of Youth Affairs, Sports and The Arts, Ababu Namwamba, announced a partnership to train one million youth from the Green Army on adaptation and leadership. The training will be conducted as part of a partnership between the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), the University of Nairobi, the University of Groningen, and the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Sports and The Arts of Kenya.
Nasimiyu Wekesa, OGW Chief of Staff, Office of the Cabinet Secretary; Adriana Valenzuela, GCA Thematic Lead, Youth Leadership & Education; Hon. Ababu-Namwamba, Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, the Arts and Sports, Republic of Kenya; Niccolò Delporto, Junior Program Officer, Youth Leadership; Harriet Tergat- Personal Aide to the Minister
Speaking during the High-Level Intergenerational Dialogue hosted by GCA at the Wangari Maathai Institute. the Minister of Youth Affairs Ababu Namwamba, said: “We must build the capacity of young people to be effective warriors for climate adaptation. This new initiative will deploy trainers from music, film, fashion, pageantry, arts, theatre, and sports to mobilise, raise awareness and increase the resilience of local communities. Each young person in this programme will receive a certificate to help advance their career in climate action”.
Hon. Ababu-Namwamba at the High-Level Intergenerational Dialogue
The Green Army Initiative comprises youth-led organizations, the Youth Empowerment and Development Foundation (YED-F), the Kenya Youth in Forestry, and the National Youth Council. The Green Army seeks to contribute to Kenya’s National Tree Growing Restoration Campaign, which aims to plant 15 billion trees by 2032 and restore 10.6 million ha of degraded land.
Professor Patrick Verkooijen, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Center on Adaptation, noted: “This partnership represents our deep commitment to working with the Government of Kenya to help equip young people with the knowledge and skills to lead the charge on climate adaptation. By working together, we will cultivate a new generation of leaders who will drive change and secure a greener, safer, and more prosperous future for the African continent.”
This training program will use the “Toolkit for Youth on Adaptation and Leadership,” launched by the Minister of International Development for Norway, Hon. Anne Beathe Tvinnereim. The Toolkit is a resource that aims to equip young people with the knowledge and skills to engage in climate adaptation policy, advocacy and action.
Peris Saleh, Young leader from Mukuru; Hon. Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Minister for International Development, Norway; Saad Uakkas, Regional Coordinator North Africa; Patricia Damlar Mouyo, Regional Coordinator Central Africa; H.E.Graça Michel, Deputy Chair of The Elders; Teresia Karimi, Youth Education Advocate; H.E. Maarten Brouwer, Ambassador to Kenya for the Netherlands; Bo Li, Deputy Managing Director of the IMF; Adriana Valenzuela, Youth Leadership & Education Thematic Lead, GCA
Notes to Editors
About the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA)
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that works as a solutions broker to accelerate action and support for adaptation solutions, from the international to the local, in partnership with the public and private sectors. Founded in 2018, GCA operates from the largest floating office in the world, located in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. GCA has a worldwide network of regional offices in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire; Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Beijing, China. On 5th September, President William Samoei Ruto established GCA African Headquarters in Kenya.
About the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Sports, and The Arts of Kenya
The Ministry of State for Youth Affairs (MOYA) was established on 7th December, 2005 to address youth concerns in the country. In May, 2008 the Department of Sports in the then Ministry of Gender, Sports, Culture and Social Services was transferred to the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs forming Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MOYAS). Its vision is to be a leader in nurturing and empowering youths and sports persons, building a better Kenya. Its mission is to maximize the full potential of the youth and sports persons through participatory engagements that serves their needs and aspirations in building a better Kenya.
