CS Juma (pictured) on Friday told journalists the launch follows the endorsement of Kenya’s candidature by the Africa Group on August 22, the bid having garnered 37 votes against main competitor Djibouti who managed 13 votes in an election conducted in Addis Ababa/CFM -SAMUEL WANJOHI
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 13 – Kenya is set to launch campaigns for a non-permanent membership at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in Addis Ababa on Monday, Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma has said.
Juma on Friday told journalists the launch follows the endorsement of Kenya’s candidature by the Africa Group on August 22, the bid having garnered 37 votes against main competitor Djibouti who managed 13 votes in an election conducted in Addis Ababa.
“I can confirm that Kenya is the African Union endorsed candidate for the UNSC for the period 2021-2022. With this endorsement we are now set to officially start our campaign on the September 16, and we believe that we are going to start our campaign on a very strong footing,” she said.
Juma exuded confidence that Kenya will clinch the seat, saying that they are receiving a lot of support from across the world.
“We have continued to receive confirmed assurances of support starting with the region, Europe, Caribbean, Asia, America among others,” the CS assured.
She said Kenya’s entry into the UN’s most powerful institution will help Nairobi focus on the region’s security and the war on terrorism, climate change and sustainable development.
“Our candidature is themed peace and security for sustainable development and we will focus on an agenda that enhances the relations between the council and the regional peace and security mechanisms including the AU Peace and Security Council, IGAD, ECOWAS and all other regional security we will seek to focus on conventional security threats but also on the new threats,” said Juma.
READ: Africa Group endorses Kenya’s candidature for UN Security Council seat
She said Kenya is committed to being a bold voice for Africa and shall steadfastly promote and defend the continent’s position.
CS Juma (pictured) said Kenya’s entry into the UN’s most powerful institution will help Nairobi focus on the region’s security and the war on terrorism, climate change and sustainable development/CFM – SAMUEL WANJOHI
Since last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta has been lobbying for support of Kenya’s bid to secure the UN Security Council seat, a move that would boost the country’s position as a regional diplomatic hub.
The African Union will present Kenya to the UNSC elections to be held in New York in June 2020 to serve for a period of two years.
The current non-permanent African member states are Cote d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea, whose terms ends this year and South Africa whose term runs until next year.
The UN Security Council, which is responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security, has 15 members.
Its permanent members are China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The 10 non-permanent members get elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.
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