Consolidate gains made in Somalia, President Uhuru to UN

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday held talks with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon where he urged the United Nations to support the African Mission in Somalia just like it does other peacekeeping missions.

President Kenyatta made the request as he informed Ban Ki-Moon that Kenya’s decision to close the Dadaab refugee camp after hosting people displaced from Somalia for the last quarter century was timely.

The President said the repatriation of the refugees will be done in an orderly and humane manner.

On his part, the Secretary General conveyed to President Kenyatta he United Nation’s concern for a humane process of repatriation.

The President said stability is returning to Somalia even though more work needs to be done including supporting the government of Somalia for more durable solutions.

President Kenyatta said besides humanitarian assistance, the world needs to channel more efforts to support the security forces of Somalia to secure the country for the stability of the region.

He said the United Nations should take up the role of coordinating efforts from different countries that have offered to support the security forces of Somalia.

The President reiterated the need to reinvigorate  AMISOM and the Somalia National Army in accordance with the conclusions of the High Level Conference on Somalia that was held in Istanbul, Turkey, in February 2016.

He also informed the Secretary General that there was an urgent need for the UN to provide AMISOM with force multipliers for better operational capabilities.

“There is an urgent need to ensure predictable, adequate and sustainable funding for AMISOM through UN assessed contributions,” said President Kenyatta.

During the talks held at the sidelines of the European Development Days (EDD), President expressed Kenya’s appreciation for the support the UN has provided to Kenya in the war against terrorism through the Counter Terrorism Committee.

President Kenyatta reiterated Kenya’s commitment in supporting the implementation and review of the UN Global Counter-terrorism Strategy and the UN Secretary General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism.

The review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy is currently ongoing in the context of the UN General Assembly and it is expected that a new resolution outlining the new strategy will be adopted on 30th June 2016.

The President and the Secretary General also discussed the strengthening of the United Nations Office in Nairobi.

President Kenyatta expressed Kenya’s willingness to continue working closely with the UN in addressing global challenges.