KIPPRA in collaboration with Kenya Think Tanks Forum held Kenya Think Tanks Symposium 2023 on 27th April 2023 at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi. The symposium of the Kenya Think Tanks Forum is an annual event that brings together Think Tanks in Kenya to deliberate on current policy issues. The theme of this year’s symposium is “Mobilizing African Think Tanks for Effective Climate Negotiations: The Road to COP28”. The symposium was attended by Principal Secretary, State Department for Economic Planning Mr. James Muhati, KIPPRA Board Chair, Dr Benson Ateng’ and KIPPRA Executive Director Dr Rose Ngugi.
The general objective of the symposium is to establish a platform between think tanks and policy makers for exchange of views on development and policy issues in enhancing evidence-informed public policy making process. The symposium brought together Kenya Think Tanks, representatives from national and county governments and civil society.
Speaking at the symposium PS James Muhati noted that the government has demonstrated its unwavering commitment to addressing climate change through various initiatives including institutionalizing measures to increase the country’s tree and forest cover to more than 30% by 2032 as an endeavor to reduce carbon emissions.
The symposium is expected to promote participation by African think tanks in climate negotiation processes to strengthen Africa’s voice in determining priorities for climate change response mechanisms, provide a platform for exchange of information among experts and experienced practitioners, researchers, and policy makers in climate change to provide African-driven proposals to address climate change, provide practical recommendations to strengthen the link between policy makers and think tanks, and enhance awareness and participation of youth in policy making and stakeholder engagement processes on climate change.
