NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 21- Kenya has since July 20 been hosting a retreat of the UN Security Council’s block of three elected African Members that seeks to reinvigorate the group’s role in the execution of the agenda of Africa and the Caribbean at the UNSC.
Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs Macharia Kamau inaugurated the A3+1 retreat as part of Kenya’s execution of her peace and security mandate at both the UN Security Council and at the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC).
The A-3 refers to the bloc of the three (3) African members of the UN Security Council, where Niger, Kenya and Tunisia are its current members, with the A-3 plus 1 incorporating the additional member of the Caribbean region, presently Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Permanent Observer Mission of the African Union to the United Nations, in New York, is also participating at the retreat.
Kamau welcomed the visiting delegations of the A3+1, noting, with appreciation, that the A3+1 arrangement had become a formidable part of the UN Security Council Political workings, in addition to providing a critical platform for the prosecution of Africa’s Agenda – and that of the Sixth Region (the Caribbean) – at the UN Security Council.
He informed that the Government of Kenya was delighted to host the retreat in Kenya in order to allow for discussions that would reinvigorate and energize the work of the A3+1 and looked forward to the adoption of a common approach to matters affecting the African continent.
Kamau said this was vital in the development of lasting working method and institutional capabilities that would provide the necessary protection to the legacy of the A3+1.
The visiting delegates have thanked Kenya for demonstrating leadership in the hosting of the retreat, noting, with appreciation, that Kenya’s membership of the UN Security Council had been a positive development to the workings and dynamism of the A3+1 in New York.
The delegates further noted that Kenya’s membership to the Council had brought the necessary gravitas that allowed for serious engagements and deliberations on matters Africa at the Council.
The UN Security Council constitutes of fifteen countries in which five of are permanent members.
They include China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – which have the right to veto resolutions.
The other ten members of the Council serve on a non-permanent basis lasting two years, with five elected each year.
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