President Uhuru Kenyatta arrived in New York on Sunday for a two-day working visit of the US, during which he is scheduled to chair a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) high-level open debate on diversity, state-building and peace.
Kenya currently holds the monthly rotational presidency of the Council for October 2021. This is after the country assumed its position as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council on January 1 2021 for a two-year period.
Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN Martin Kimani says the country’s main agenda at the UN Security Council is to offer ideas and solutions to global peace and security in areas such as the Horn of Africa and the troubled Sahel region. Kenya will be relying on its vast experience in peace building in sharing its ideas with the UN.
President Kenyatta to hold discussions with UN Secretary General
President Kenyatta is also expected to hold bilateral discussions with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guteress and witness the signing of a trade agreement between Kenya’s private sector and a consortium of American companies during his visit.
Guteress and President Kenyatta will discuss several issues of mutual interest to Kenya and the UN, among them the global response to Covid-19.
“Kenya has been very specific on the steps it expects the United Nations to take particularly in regard to the Covid-19 pandemic vaccination, peace and security and how the world should get to COP26 in a month’s time. How the world responds to climate change is key to Kenya’s future prosperity,” said Kimani.
President Kenyatta will witness the signing of a new initiative between the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa) and the Corporate Council on Africa, the largest umbrella body of US companies operating in Africa.
The business agreement seeks to enhance collaboration between Kenyan companies, especially the small and medium enterprises with their American counterparts in a deliberate government effort to create more jobs and employment opportunities for Kenya’s youth.
Further, President Kenyatta is scheduled to participate in the Global Leaders’ high-level discussion organised by the International Peace Institute (IPI), with participation by former Permanent Representative of Jordan to the United Nations Prince Zeid Raad Al Hussein.
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