Kenya and 142 other countries have voted for the adoption of the United Nations (UN) PACT for the Future, with UN Security Council member Russia, Belarus, and Iran voting against.
- 15 countries abstained from the vote for the pact, which ‘repeats the COP28 agreement that saw countries also agreeing to tripling of renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency by 2030.’
- The vote took place at the start of the Summit of the Future in New York, USA, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
- Russia had tabled an amendment to include “principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of states” which was overwhelmingly rejected.
“Today’s vote at the UN is a solid signal that countries are aware we cannot backtrack on previous agreements,” Ali Mohamed, Kenya’s Climate Envoy, said after the vote, “We must not be looking back, instead we must continue to commit our focus on implementing efforts to keep global temperature rises to the 1.5c limit.”
“This must happen through increased investment in renewable energies, through increased efforts to double energy efficiency. Finance is the key to unlocking progress,” Mohamed added.
African countries are pushing for action in addressing climate change, debt, and financial disparities. Among the proposed solutions is a new global climate finance target of at least $1.3 trillion in grants and concessional funding. The continent’s 54 countries are also pushing for comprehensive debt relief and “restructuring mechanisms that create the fiscal space needed for sustainable development and climate action.”
“From now on, any country claiming climate leadership will be put to this test: do you have a fossil fuel transition plan? And for rich producing countries, the test includes support for developing countries to make their transition,” Catherine Abreu, Director, International Climate Politics Hub said.
