Kenya vows to advance four-point agenda at UN Security Council

Africa News of Friday January 8, 2021

Source: GNA

01/08/2021

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has said his government will advance a four-point agenda as it takes a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Kenyatta said his country will support measures to strengthen the role of Africa and the South in the multilateral system and to ensure that the COVID-19 pandemic does not become a major driver of insecurity.

“If fragile countries do not get rapid access to the vaccine, their economic problems are likely to turn into political and security challenges,” Kenyatta said Wednesday evening at a UNSC virtual meeting on the challenges of peacekeeping and security in fragile contexts, according to a statement released after the meeting.

Kenyatta also mentioned leveraging the knowledge and buy-in of stakeholders closest to crises and supporting the Security Council and associated United Nations bodies to build the capacity of state institutions during post-reconstruction. -conflicts among the measures that Kenya will support.

“The Peacebuilding Commission will play an invaluable role, which Kenya will support closely over the next two years,” said the president.

He noted that affordable and timely access to the COVID-19 vaccine should therefore be seen as a valuable investment in peace.

According to Kenyatta, the UN Security Council devotes the bulk of its agenda to conflicts in Africa, which he says demonstrates the fragility of many countries and regions on the continent.

“If we are to be true to the founding charter of the UN, it follows then that we should invest more in building more effective approaches or revitalizing existing mechanisms, which maintain peace and anchor stability in Africa. “said the president.

Kenyatta’s participation in the meeting follows Kenya’s accession to its position in the UNSC as a non-permanent member for two years on Monday.

The Kenyan flag was hoisted at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday alongside those of nine other non-permanent seat holders.

Kenyatta hailed the victory won by Kenya after defeating Djibouti in a second ballot in 2020, as historic, and which would guarantee the country’s position as a regional and global power player.

During the virtual meeting, Kenyatta noted that peace will only be maintained if countries facing conflict are facilitated to be strong enough to take control of their territory and provide public services.

He stressed that the path to revitalizing multilateralism to effectively ensure global peace and security must be through a united Africa and an active and engaged global South.