Nairobi, July 10, 2014 – Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Mission in Kenya, Isiah Parnell, joined the Environment Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Dr. Alice Akinyi Kaudia, to jointly launch a new Environment and Natural Resource Management (ENRM) office for the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) mission in Kenya. The new office will support the Government of Kenya’s goals, with a focus on climate change, water tower restoration, wildlife management and anti-trafficking, and low carbon resilient development.

The U.S. Government has enjoyed a 50-year partnership in conservation with the Government of Kenya. Notable milestones include the development of park infrastructure and park access roads in the 1980s; and the establishment and institutional strengthening of the Kenya Wildlife Service, under which USAID has supported the training of over 600 Kenyan Rangers.

“As you can see, the U.S. commitment to environmental conservation is growing.  We are confident that the firm partnership between the U.S. and Kenya on this issue will result in more positive change in the future,” said Parnell.

The new office will also achieve results under President Obama's Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI) and the new USAID Biodiversity Policy, for which Kenya is a priority country.

USAID’s 2014 fiscal year budget for environment and natural resources management in Kenya is Ksh 965 million ($11 million).

USAID is the U.S. Government agency responsible for administering civilian foreign assistance.