Politics

Kenya

Mattarella in Nairobi: "We guardians of creation, now act on the climate"

"Good morning on this beautiful rainy day!" This is how the President opened his address at the university of the capital on the fight against climate change on the last day of his state visit

16/03/2023

"You can't escape from reality. The reduction of emissions in the times and in the manner indicated by the scientific community is an unavoidable obligation, which concerns everyone. We cannot be lulled into the illusion of first pursuing economic development objectives and then tackling environmental problems later. We won't have a 'second half.'" This was said by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, speaking at the University of Nairobi.

"It is clear that against climate change the size of the individual state is absolutely inadequate. The efforts of unity and direction, realized since the constitution of the UN, with continental integration organizations such as the European Union and the African Union, will never be sufficient. Only collective action can be able to combine effectiveness and solidarity to avoid the catastrophic scenarios taking place and those that are coming. It is the moment of unity, of cohesion, not of divisions between North and South, between East and West of the world".

"In one of the last writings, by Archbishop and Nobel Prize winner Desmond Tutu we read: "Being the guardians of creation is not a vain title; It requires action and with all the urgency that the situation requires". The protection of the environment and the fight against climate change represent unavoidable responsibilities, which fall on all humanity, without exception".

"I firmly believe that on this issue, as on many others, Africa and Europe can and must jointly take a leading role. Cooperation between Europe and Africa - the future of which lies in common - is crucial to promoting ambitious goals. Africa holds essential keys to the success of the planet's decarbonization strategies. The production of clean energy and its effective distribution are crucial for Africa's development, as set out in the African Union's climate strategy. The energy transition, with its emphasis on renewable energy and the circular economy, opens up new and promising horizons of collaboration for our continents. In this regard, with the establishment of a specific Climate Fund, Italy intends to propose itself as a leading player for climate finance interventions. From large projects for the use of solar and wind energy, to agriculture 4.0, to the production of green hydrogen, the potential for the partnership between Africa and Europe is numerous and all highly promising".

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We share the tension towards a new humanism, which places man at the centre, at the national and international levels, and his aspiration to live with dignity in more equitable, inclusive and sustainable societies. In the process of intensifying relations, Italy and the European Union count on dialogue with those countries, such as Kenya, with which to build a partnership based, as well as on convergence towards common interests, on shared values. Such as respect for the dignity of every person and every community, the promotion of democratic values, attention to the growth and development of the younger generations, care for global common goods, beginning with the very precious environment goods. As Wangari Maathai herself stated at the Nobel Prize ceremony, "there can be no peace without development; And there can be no development without sustainable management of the environment in a peaceful and democratic space." In these words of his we fully recognize ourselves".

"The brutal aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine is taking international relations back eighty years, as if there has not been, in this period of time, admirable progress in the field of independence, freedom and democracy, of the civil growth of so many nations. We have grown in the interdependence between our destinies and the consequences of the actions of the Russian Federation on food security, on the energy security of many countries, on peace, also on the African continent, and in the Middle East, are very serious".