Juma says Kenya confident of win in UN council poll
Kenya is confident it will get a seat at the United Nations Security Council after 22 years this June during the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, to be held at its Headquarters in New York.
Kenya is battling for the seat against Djibouti, which has defied Africa Union’s (AU) endorsement of the former’s candidature.
But according to Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma, the UN Security Council non-permanent seat is Kenya’s ‘Big Five’ agenda this year.
“We will be going to the Council after almost 22 years if we get the vote and I am confident we will,” she said during an interview with our sister station K24 TV.
The CS said Kenya needs the seat because of its competencies and experiences in regional and international peace building and diplomacy matters.
“The reason we think, and not just us but also the countries that will be voting for Kenya believe it will add value to the council because we are tested because of our competencies, experiences and new ones that we will table in the council,” she said.
UP game
Juma (pictured) termed Kenya as the Horn of Africa peace building hub and has the advantage of its strategic position in stabilisation of global trade that goes on in Indian Ocean.
“The ongoings in the Indian Ocean realm today, about 60 per cent of global commercial trade comes through the red sea and Gulf of Aden and we have seen a lot of interest in this region,” she said.
She added that the way in which the geo-strategic interests balance out in this region, Kenya becomes very important for stabilisation of global trade.
The CS also noted that Kenya being the entrance to the Horn of Africa, which has been fragile in terms of ecology and peace and security, the UN Security seat, would come in handy.
“Sitting in UN Security Council will help Kenya brings the New Ones in the Council,” she assured.
On terrorism network, Juma said it is not national or geographic specific hence governments need to up their game to defeat it.
“We have to get better at working together, sharing information to tame terrorists movement. They have embraced technology …we have to be better in cyber world as governments to dismantle terrorism,” she said.
Juma’s comments came a few hours after Al Shabaab unsuccessfully tried to attack Manda Bay in Lamu, which is operated by Kenya Defence Force (KDF) and American soldiers.
The African Union (AU) endorsed Kenya as the continent’s representative on August 22.
Egyptian Permanent Representative to the AU, Osama Abdel Khalek, chaired a session in which the Permanent Representatives Committee voted for Kenya 37-13 in a secret ballot.
