King Charles III hails UN green heroes in Nairobi

King Charles III plants a tree with 10-year-old environmentalist Karen Kimani on November 1, 2023.[Dennish Ochieng, Standard]

King Charles III, has praised the United Nations staff in Nairobi for their efforts to protect the environment and combat climate change.

The King, who is a passionate environmentalist, visited the UN headquarters in Nairobi on Wednesday, where he met with the officials and personnel of the UN Environment Programme, U.N. Habitat, and other UN agencies based in Kenya.

In his speech, he expressed his gratitude and admiration for the global achievements of the UN environmental leadership, such as cleaning up the oceans, repairing the ozone layer, and ensuring food and water security.

He also highlighted the challenges of global warming and biodiversity loss, especially in Africa, where millions of people face hunger and drought.

"I have seen at first hand the devastating effects of climate change and biodiversity loss across the Commonwealth," he said.

"It is particularly heart-breaking to know that in the Horn of Africa alone, tens of millions of people face severe hunger and drought."

He urged for more cooperation and partnership to tackle these issues, quoting President William Ruto , who said at the Africa Climate Summit: "We go far when we go together."

The King also commended Kenya for its role and innovation in restoring degraded land and creating climate resilient and sustainable food systems.

He said he hoped that the Global Food Security Summit that the United Kingdom will host next month will contribute to these efforts.

The King is accompanied by Queen Camilla, who also attended a separate event on women's empowerment and education in Nairobi.

King Charles III is in his first visit to a commonwealth nation since ascending to the throne last year. He is accompanied by Queen Camilla.