The Vice President of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, has departed Belem, Brazil, for Abuja Nigeria, after a successful diplomatic engagement in the South American country where he represented President Bola Tinubu at the leaders plenary of the 30th Session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 30).
This is just as Nigeria reaffirmed its determination to continue to use its influence to lead the way in seeking solutions to climate change matters in Africa and beyond.
The leaders plenary session of the Conference convened by Brazil’s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in collaboration with the United Nations and other global partners, was held from November 6 to 7 in the city of Belém, capital of the state of Pará, in the Brazilian Amazon.
During the international engagement, Vice President Shettima joined other world leaders, development partners and business executives at the Leaders’ Climate Summit – COP30, where he delivered a speech on Nigeria’s effort in addressing climate change, saying “the nation’s renewed climate agenda represents not just an aspiration, but a solemn national commitment to preserve the planet for future generations.”
VP Shettima also represented President Tinubu at a high-level thematic session titled, “Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans,” on the margins of COP 30, where he delivered Nigeria’s bold statement.
Delivering the statement titled, “The Rational Soul of Nature,” he called on global partners “to recognize the economic value of nature and to channel significant finance towards protecting and restoring it through predictable, equitable, and accessible funding mechanisms.”
The Nigerian Vice President also took part in the launch of the Tropical Forest Forever Fund, and participated in a roundtable chaired by President Lula on Climate and Nature, as well as an Amazonian Cocktail for Heads of Delegation, hosted by the President of Brazil.
On the sidelines, VP Shettima also held bilateral meetings focused on establishing and managing Nigeria’s participation in the carbon markets, enabling the nation to unlock between $2.5 billion and $3 billion annually in carbon finance over the next decade to help meet climate goals.