President Uhuru Kenyatta attending the 5th virtual meeting of the Bureau of the Assembly of the African (AU) at State House, Nairobi on June 12, 2020. The meeting was convened by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa who is the current Chairperson of the African Union. [PSCU, Standard]
President Uhuru Kenyatta led a final campaign to have Kenya elected to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) saying the move, if successful, would advance the pan-Africanist agenda of global peace, solidarity and multilateralism.
The African Union (AU) has endorsed Kenya’s candidature for the non-permanent seat on the Security Council to represent the Eastern Africa region and faces opposition from Djibouti.
“A vote for Kenya is a vote for peace. A vote for Kenya is a vote for global solidarity. A vote for Kenya is a vote for multilateralism,” Kenyatta rallied the envoys.
Citing Kenya’s long history of contributing troops to peacekeeping interventions, the President said Kenya had the right credentials to represent the continent in the UNSC.
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Kenyatta spoke on Tuesday night during a virtual campaign meeting with permanent representatives of various countries to the United Nations, which was hosted by Kenya ahead of UNSC elections that were set for last evening.
The President formed part of the campaign that Kenya has mounted to clinch the seat.
ODM leader Raila Odinga said Kenya had served the community of nations with dedication and grace by hosting refugees and sending peacekeepers to troubled lands, which had ensured regional stability.
“Our athletes are shared pride. We seek to continue this tradition of service via a UN seat. May the world stand with us,” he said.
Raila told the representatives that Kenya’s experience as the host nation of UN-Habitat and UNEP global headquarters places the country in an advantaged position to champion the world’s sustainable development agenda. “I speak to you from Nairobi, your only global capital in the South, where the UN resides taking care of our environment and our habitat,” Kenyatta said.
“I speak to you from Nairobi, the Kenyan capital where we recently hosted one of the first blue economy conferences, bringing the nations of the world together to see how we can not only preserve our oceans for future generations but exploit them in a sustainable manner for present generations.”
Pan Africa spirit
The President thanked AU for endorsing Kenya’s bid for the Security Council slot, saying if elected, the country would use the privilege position to advance a pan-Africanist agenda for peace, multilateralism and global solidarity.
He persuaded the representatives to vote for Kenya based on the country’s track record of democracy, respect for human rights and solidarity.
“I want to give you Kenya’s story. Kenya’s story is one that believes and trusts that together we are stronger. One that believes that through democracy, through respect for human life and through unity, more can be achieved than individually.
“We want you to believe in us. We want you to trust us. We want you to see our track record over the years. Stand with us as Kenya stands with you,” the President lobbied.
He said Kenya’s peacekeeping missions had been to every part of the globe where they “joined hands with others to bring peace and bring communities and nations together”.
Responding to a concern raised by Singapore’s representative Burhan Gafoor on security gaps in the world’s cyberspace, the President said, Kenya will lobby the Security Council to enact a binding cybersecurity treaty if elected.
Foreign Affairs CS Raychelle Omamo seeks to join the Security Council so as to contribute positively to global peace.
