KENYA MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS NEW YORK

The Kenya Mission to the United Nations serves as the Kenya delegation to the United Nations. Through diplomacy, negotiation, lobbying and daily monitoring of UN activities, the Mission’s main objective is to advance Kenya’s interests at the United Nations in critical areas namely: political, economic and social as well as legal, military, public diplomacy and management interests. The Mission covers a wide range of the Ministry’s Foreign Policy objectives, from peaceful resolution of disputes to protecting the environment as well as promoting sustainable development. The Mission externalizes Kenya domestic policies in a wide range of thematic issues and areas of interests to the country.

The Mission conducts multilateral and bilateral relations with representatives of the 193 UN Member States, over 30 Observer Missions, many Non-Governmental Organizations with observer status and the United Nations Secretariat, which serves member states. It also works with UN Funds and Programmes such as UN children’s fund (UNICEF), the UN Developmental Programme (UNDP), the UN Gender Entity on Women (UN Women), and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) amongst others.

The Kenya Mission implements the Strategic Plan of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from which it implements specific multi-lateral mandate based on an annual performance contract it signs with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). This means that the Mission in New York promotes the same Mission, Vision and Core Values as contained in the MFA’s current Strategic Plan and its Service Charter, although, the service charter is adapted to the specific roles and functions of the Mission and its circumstances.

Kenya is actively represented in all the six committees of the UN (see below), ensuring that our national interests and views are taken into account in all areas, levels and circumstances. Other areas of focus include the reforms of the Security Council, improvement in the UN finances and strengthening of the UN capacity to deal with economic and social issues, peacekeeping and peace-building and conflict prevention amongst others. Kenya has been in the forefront of efforts to develop practical proposals for reforms of the Security Council, ECOSOC and the UN in general to make the institutions more responsive and strong to deal with modern challenges.

A Service Charter was created in response to the Ministry’s requirement that all its Missions and departments/divisions that provide services to the public should develop individual sub- charters based on the Ministry’s Charter. The Ministry’s Charter highlights the Ministry’s objectives functions and expectations of customers.  Please click here to view the complete Service Charter

KENYA AT THE UN: ENGAGING CONSTRUCTIVELY AT THE APEX OF MULTILATERAL DIPLOMACY

The Kenya Mission at the United Nations is one of the highly respected missions in New York and plays a significant role in the promotion and implementation of the United Nations mandate. The Kenyan Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Martin Kimani and his team of distinguished Kenyan officers have played, and continue to play, the following critical roles at the United Nations:-

1. President of the Bureau of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
2. Co-Chair of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals
3. Chair of the Bureau on the 11th Session of United Nations Forum on Forests
4. Vice President of the General Assembly
5. Vice President of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Board
6. Members of the Working Group on the Assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute and International Criminal Court.
7. Chair of the Working Group on the Erection of the Permanent Memorial in Honour of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
8. Member of the Steering Committee for the 2013 commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
9. Members of the Working Group on United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNICITRAL)
10. Members of the Council of the International Seabed Authority
11. Co-authors of the Arms Trade Treaty
12. President of South-South Cooperation 2011-2012
13. Members of the Committee of Ten on the United Nations Security Council Reforms
14. Co-facilitators of the New Partnership for Development (Nepad) Resolution 2011-2012
15. Vice-Chair of the 62nd and 63rd Session of the Commision on the Status of Women
16. Vice-President of the UN Women Executive Board 
17. Member of the United Nations Security Council 
18. Vice-President of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board 

Kenya became a member of the United Nations on 16th December1963 and has since then served on the Security Council 1973-74, 1997-98, and 2021-22.

PREVIOUS AMBASSADORS / PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES