Uhuru to open UN meeting as 3,000 delegates expected

Over 3,000 delegates converge in Nairobi for a week-long United Nations meeting that will be opened by President Uhuru Kenyatta (pictured) today at the UN Office in Gigiri.

UN-Habitat, the United Nations agency and focal point on sustainable urbanisation, is hosting its first Assembly to be attended by four Heads of State, over 40 ministers and high-level representatives from 116 countries.

According to UN-Habitat Executive Director Maimunah Mohd Sharif, over 3,000 delegates will attend the session.

“The UN-Habitat Assembly provides a fantastic opportunity for us all to inspire each other with new ideas and examples of how we have used innovation to maximise the opportunities offered by urbanisation and overcome the challenges,” Ms Sharif said.

Uhuru will on Wednesday take part in a high-level strategic dialogue with other Heads of State and Government, including the President of South Sudan Salva Kirr and Prime Ministers Frank Bainimarama of Fiji and Yemen's Ahmed Obeid.

The UN-Habitat Assembly was established by the United Nations General Assembly through a resolution endorsed on December 20, last year, to help strengthen UN-Habitat’s mandate. The Assembly will meet every four years.

The Nairobi meeting will end on Friday with a ministerial declaration.