This archive report was first published on 11 July 2019.
Published on July 11, 2019, by AZIM LAKHANI, Diplomatic Representative of the Aga Khan Development Network in Kenya.
A photograph of a tree in my office, taken by Prince Hussain Aga Khan, reminds me of the Aga Khan Development Network's (AKDN) commitment to stewardship and sustainability in Kenya.
As I reflect on my presentation at a World Bank consultative meeting in Johannesburg on the 'World Development Report 2000/1', I am reminded of the AKDN's values, including stewardship, which emphasizes collective responsibility to leave the planet better than we found it.
The AKDN's efforts in Kenya are a testament to this commitment. For example, Serena Hotels pioneered a form of tourism that combines economic sustainability with environmental conservation, releasing over 50,000 hatchlings into the sea to protect turtles and maintaining a butterfly house to protect species.
The Aga Khan University's Graduate School of Media and Communications produced a documentary series, 'Giving Nature a Voice', which highlights the importance of preserving the environment.
Other initiatives, such as the first green building in the region, Vienna Court, and the Industrial Promotion Services' (IPS) sustainable farming practices, demonstrate the AKDN's commitment to environmental sustainability.
The AKDN's schools and the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa also promote stewardship among future generations, through engagement and research projects that address air pollution, water purification, and global warming.
Kenya's efforts to protect the environment and preserve its natural resources, such as the Ban Plastics and Clean Seas Campaigns, are also commendable.
The AKDN and the Ismaili Community have shown solidarity with these efforts, hosting exhibitions and events that promote environmental sustainability.
As His Highness the Aga Khan said in Washington, D.C. in January 2005, 'In Islam, the Holy Quran says that man is God's noblest creation to whom He has entrusted the stewardship of all that is on earth.'
