The Government and the United Nations (UN) should work together to make Nairobi a hub for the institution’s operations in Kenya, the region, and globally.
UN is investing nearly $340 million in upgrading Nairobi Office and one of the investments is building an assembly hall, the first the UN General Assembly is building since 1949.
Once the project is concluded, if called upon and required, Kenya will then be in a position to hold a UN General Assembly because they will be having the infrastructure in place.
The assembly hall is going to have almost 9,000 sitting capacity, which is at par with New York and Geneva and the complex is going to have 30 conference meeting rooms.
There are reports that at the 2030 UN General Assembly, a special request for consideration to elevate Kenya’s stature will be presented with an aim of bringing Nairobi to a favourable competitive level with Geneva and New York.
In particular, Kenya is poised to host three new UN global offices by the end of next year, as part of making Nairobi a critical hub of the UN operations.
The world’s largest recognised international organisation is planning to set up offices to host the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFP) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN WOMEN) programmes.
This will be in addition to the current two global offices, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN-HABITAT, which have their headquarters in Nairobi.
Kenya’s strategic positioning as the regional logistic and financial hub gives it an edge in supporting the UN’s pivotal role in multilateral diplomacy, and advancing key global and regional priorities.
In its bid, Kenya should leverage the UN’s existing presence and the opportunities presented by its operations in the greater horn, east and central Africa sub-regions.
The government should engage and work with various stakeholders to ensure it provides a conducive and enabling environment for UN expansion, and possible relocations to Nairobi.
Since Kenya received the UN in Nairobi, both sides have worked on many things, and the collaboration and partnership has been tremendous.
As confirmed by the Director-General of the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON), Zainab Bangura, the government has been instrumental in ensuring a steady growth of UN operations. Successive governments have had a sense of mutual benefits from the programmes run by the UN in Kenya.
The UN Gigiri Complex, spanning 140 acres, was made possible through Kenya’s generosity. In 1972, the Government of Kenya donated 100 acres to establish the UNEP.
In 1975, an additional 40 acres were donated for establishing UN-Habitat. The agencies are the only UN entity headquarters in the Global South. UNICEF, UNFPA and UN Women have moved some of their operations to Nairobi, while their headquarters remain in New York.
As the world moves towards the 2030 deadlines and setting the agenda for 2063, Kenya’s experience highlights the need for collective action within the country and globally to ensure that progress is inclusive and enduring.
The path forward demands continuous innovation, resilience, and cooperation to achieve a more sustainable and equitable future for all.
The Nairobi Office is the fastest growing duty station of the UN, and it is the only one progressively recording a steady growth.
As of July, there are more than 80 offices of the UN Secretariat, agencies, funds and programmes as well as specialised agencies operating across or from Kenya, including regional offices and some operations for Somalia, Sudan, peacekeeping and special political missions.
There are more than 6000 UN personnel in Kenya. Over 5,000 of the staff are based within the UNON complex. When the UNEP was set-up, UN had only 300 staff, now UN are boasting of 6,500 staff, 11,000 families and dependents.
UN presence in Nairobi strengthens global geographic balance in multilateral governance and reaffirms the UN’s commitment to inclusive international cooperation. That is why UN should work with Kenya to strengthen operations in Nairobi.
Similarly, the government should put more effort in championing the capital city as an important UN cog, the importance of Nairobi Office expansion to UN and Kenya at large-considering benefits and opportunities. Kenya and UN should forge stronger partnership to transform the country into a strategic host for UN operations.
With the support of the UN, Kenya’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals is being realised with progressive strides in healthcare, education, gender equality and climate action, among other support programmes.
The ongoing expansion project will boost UN’s operations thus reaffirming Kenya’s leadership in regional and global affairs, since being admitted as a member state of the UN on December 16, 1963, after attaining independence.
Nairobi has since been recognised as the heart of an innovative effort that is evolving the operational landscape of the United Nations in region. Noteworthy, by working together and with the UN’s support Kenya can achieve a lot not only for her economic growth and well-being of the citizens but much more for the good of the region and world.
Apart from the UN, other entities want to come to Kenya. The country is already receiving a fairly rapid line of requests, from other international agencies including non-governmental bodies, that would want to relocate and have their centers come to Nairobi.
The writer is a Public Policy Analyst.
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