June 6, 2011 at 4:00 PM (EST)

Ambassador: Her Excellency Josephine Ojiambo

Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations

About this Roundtable

On June 6, GFDD/FUNGLODE will present its fifth Global Roundtable, hosted at its New York office.

This session will present the Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations, Her Excellency Josephine Ojiabo, who also serves as President of the High Level Committee on South South Cooperation.

Ambassador Ojiambo serves as President of the High Level Committee on South South Cooperation, a Committee housed by a bureau at UNDP Headquarters in New York dedicated to capacity building and the exchange of best practices from the Global South. Her Excellency will be discussing Kenya’s advancement in relation to the UN Millennium Development Goals and other international development topics affecting the country, such as: coalition government, economy, health, tourism, and trade.

About Kenya
Situated on the equator on Africa’s east coast, Kenya has often been described as “the cradle of humanity”. In the Great Rift Valley paleontologists have discovered some of the earliest evidence of man’s ancestors.

In the present day, the Republic of Kenya’s ethnic diversity has produced a vibrant culture but is also a source of conflict but it is currently at peace. The major languages are English and Swahili and the religion is predominantly Christian.

Following independence from Britain in 1963, politics was dominated by the charismatic Jomo Kenyatta. He was succeeded in 1978 by Daniel Arap Moi, who remained in power for 24 years. The ruling Kenya African National Union, Kanu, was the only legal political party for much of the 1980s.

Popular unrest – and international pressure – led to the restoration of multi-party politics in the early 1990s. But it was to be another decade before opposition candidate Mwai Kibaki ended nearly 40 years of Kanu rule with his landslide victory in 2002’s general election.

Despite President Kibaki’s pledge to tackle corruption, some donors estimated that up to $1bn had been lost to graft between 2002 and 2005.

Other pressing challenges include high unemployment, crime and poverty; most Kenyans live below the poverty level of $1 a day. Droughts frequently put millions of people at risk.

Kenya has been a leading light in the Somali and Sudanese peace processes.
With its scenic beauty and abundant wildlife, Kenya is one of Africa’s major safari destinations. The lucrative tourist industry has bounced back following the slump that followed bomb attacks in Nairobi in 1998 and Mombasa in 2002. And in 2006 tourism was the country’s best hard currency earner, ahead of horticulture and tea.

Membership of international groupings/organisations: UN, Commonwealth, African Union, WTO, East African Community (EAC), Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

Topic: Ambassador Ojiabo will discuss Kenya’s advancement in relation to the UN Millennium Development Goal’s and other international and development topics affecting the country such as; coalition government, economy, health, tourism, and trade.

Location: 780 Third Ave., 19th floor, New York , NY 10017
Time: 4:00pm (EST)
Date: Monday, June 6, 2011

Your Participation is welcome: Session closed.

News

• The Ambassador of Kenya Confirms Attendance to GFDD’s and FUNGLODE’s Fifth Global Roundtable
  New York, 6/6/2011
• GFDD and FUNGLODE’s Fifth Global Roundtable hosts the Kenyan Mission to the United Nations
  New York, 6/8/2011

Additional resources

Transcript

Transcript of GFDD’s fourth Global Roundtable with Her Excellency Josephine Ojiambo, Ambassador of Kenya to the United Nations.

Photo Gallery