Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud warned on Thursday of the “existential threat” climate change posed to the world and called for immediate global action.
Mohamud told the sixth Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, that “the time for debate is over”.
“We must act now, with effective, inclusive and sustainable multilateral actions to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution,” he added.
Mohamud highlighted Somalia’s frontline experience with the devastating effects of climate change, including prolonged droughts and floods that have led to severe humanitarian crises.
The Somali leader underscored the critical importance of accessible and affordable climate financing for developing nations like Somalia.
He emphasized that the current climate financing structure is inadequate for the scale of the challenge faced by the most vulnerable countries.
The sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) is taking place from February 26 to March 1 at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi.
Dozens of environment ministers and a number of heads of state attended it to discuss how to address climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and waste.
