President Uhuru Kenyatta has appealed to United Nations Member States to support Kenya’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council during the elections slated for June next year.
The President, who thanked the African Union for endorsing Kenya’s candidature for the seat, said the country’s bid is motivated by a “pursuit for solutions to global challenges.”
Kenyatta made the appeal when he addressed the General Debate of the 74th United Nations General Assembly in New York where he said Kenya deserves a seat on the Security Council because of its leading role in regional peace and stability in Eastern Africa as well as the Horn Africa, in addition to its many years of contributing troops to UN peacekeeping operations across the world.
“When the world had given up on our region, we opened our doors to millions of people fleeing insecurity. To this day, we host hundreds of thousands of refugees,” he noted.
“Our investment in the Sudan negotiations led to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005. We continue to support stabilization efforts in both Sudan and South Sudan,” he said.
Kenyatta pointed out that his East African nation has already contributed more than 40,000 peacekeepers and engaged in post conflict reconstruction and development efforts across the world.
“We, therefore, hope that our experience, competencies and unrelenting search for peace and prosperity in our neighbourhood, on the continent and the wider world, will persuade the entire UN membership to support the African Union candidate, for the non-permanent seat of the United Nations Security Council during the elections slated for June 2020,” he said.
“I request for the vote of each and every member of the United Nations family,” Kenyatta appealed to fellow leaders.
Kenya has been lobbying peers in the African Union and other countries across the world to support Nairobi’s campaign to focus on issues affecting the developing world.
Kenya won the Eastern Africa region spot after garnering 37 votes against Djibouti’s 13 during an election held by the African Union Permanent Representatives’ Committee (AU PRC) on August in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
JK/abj/APA