Kenya had its flag hoisted at the UN headquarters in New York in a special ceremony held on Monday, January 4, as it took up its position at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Following the traditional official flag installation ceremony, Kenya will commence its two-year tenure as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, a position the county last held 23 years ago in 1997.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Martin Kimani, who is Kenya's permanent representative to the UN assured that the country would be open to innovative and new ideas in strengthening regional solutions.
"We will be a bold voice for Kenya, Africa, and all peoples yearning for peace and security," he noted.
Kenya won the seat six months ago after edging out Djibouti, replacing South Africa to represent the Eastern region.
During the fete ceremony, Kenya's flag was hoisted alongside India's, Ireland's, Mexico's, and Norway's.
“The flag-raising event marks the formal start of our contribution at the seat of the global and premier decision making organ on matters international peace and security. Best of luck to the Team,” Defence Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma noted.
Security Council has the primary responsibility to maintain international peace and security. It has 15 Members, and each Member has one vote. Under the Charter of the United Nations, all Member States are obligated to comply with council decisions.
The Security Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression.
It calls upon the parties to a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of the settlement.
Watch the video of the flag hoisting ceremony below:
{"preview_thumbnail":"/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/KbS_wPofMUQ.jpg?itok=vvm6_pJo","video_url":"","settings":{"responsive":1,"width":"854","height":"480","autoplay":0},"settings_summary":["Embedded Video (Responsive)."]}
In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.
The US, UK, Russia, China and France, are the only countries that have permanent seats at the UNSC.
