Group photo with all stakeholders
The National Forum on Climate Mobility and the KDMECC took place on 5 and 24 March 2025 at Ole Sereni Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya. It focused on the relationship between the environment, climate change, and human migration. Hosted by IOM UN Migration-Kenya, It brought together a wide range of participants, including representatives from IOM, local governments, community leaders, and youth groups.
The Kampala Ministerial Declaration was signed on 29 July 2022 in Kampala, Uganda, by the Ministers of Environment, Ministers of Interiors and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Governments of the member states of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)
and the East Africa Community (EAC), and the states of the East and the Horn of Africa, together with a high level representatives of African Union, UN and Development partners and the youth.
As each country is trying to implement the commitments in the declaration in their own context, this was a platform for Kenyan stakeholders: county government, national government, civil society organizations and IOM to revisit the Declaration and share experience on various ways that different counties have been implementing it. Laudato Si Movement participated as one of the stakeholders who can enrich the implementation strategy for Kenya by offering a Faith dimension to the implementation phase.
Laudato Si Movement considers with seriousness the three aspects in the Declaration: Immigration, Environment and climate change because they are part Pope Francis message on Integral Ecology, referred to in Laudato Si 49: “Today, however we have to realise that, the true ecological approach always becomes a social approach, it must integrate questions of justice in debates on environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor”.
The aspect of climate mobility is also highlighted in The LetterFilm.
The forum aimed to explore solutions to the growing challenge of climate-induced migration in Kenya and the broader region.
On 24 March 2025, the second session embarked on highlighting the gaps in the Declaration and needs that need to be addressed in Kenya.
Concluded with action planning of initiatives focusing on 3 proposed areas : Build climate resilience and adaptive interventions for all communities living in fragile ecosystems, Implement and domesticate the provisions of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) underscoring the state’s role to address desertification, land degradation, and drought as one of the drivers of poverty and forced mobility , and to generate accurate, timely data and
information on climate change impacts on human mobility.
It is important for LSM to be part of this dialogue which falls under integral Ecology. Our contribution is to bring the faith language and aspect of developing Ecological Conversation, footprint carbon reduction and raising a prophetic voice, in the domestication and implementation of such an important document.
Africa secretariat team involved in working group sessions
As we celebrate the 10 years anniversary of Laudato Si , this is a milestone we are making in collaborating with policy makers,NGOs, governmental organizations and all people of good will.
The current climate crisis requires serious and honest dialogue and honoring our engagement.
Since the proposed initiatives will be implemented in local communities, this is an opportunity to hear the Cry of the Earth and Cry of the Poor. We salute IOM for bringing diverse stakeholders on board to give a chance to every to contribute towards the safety of people and planet especially in the area of human mobility amidst climate change.