Kenya to host UNCTAD Conference in 2016

Kenya will next year remain in the global spotlight for the second year running when world leaders converge in Nairobi for the 14^th quadrennial conference on  UNCTAD.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD 14), which brings together various Heads of State and Government, global corporate leaders, the academia and the civil society, takes place between July 17-22, 2016 .

The conference provides another unique business  opportunity for Kenya because it runs concurrently with the  World Investment  Forum and the Global Commodities Forum.

The UNCTAD conference which takes place every four years provides a unique opportunity to deliberate the challenges of moving from decisions to actions on the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The UNCTAD meeting takes place on the heels of the World Trade Organization conference scheduled for Nairobi next week ( December 15-18) and the recently successful GES meeting in Nairobi  co-opened by US President Barack Obama and his host President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The Country also recently  hosted the Global leader of the  1.2 million catholics, Pope Francis during his  premier tour of the African continent.

UNCTAD Secretary General Dr Mukhisa Kituyi and Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed  met with President Uhuru Kenyatta  where they  signed a joint statement  announcing that Nairobi will host the  global meeting.

“We look forward to welcoming the world to Nairobi for the first United Nations implementation conference since the conclusion of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda in July 2015, the Agenda 2030 in New York and the (just concluded)  COP21 in Paris”, said the joint statement.

Intensive consultations between senior officials of the government and UNCTAD are ongoing in preparation for the July 2016 event.