The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has unveiled plans to relocate a portion of its staff from the United States to Kenya.
In job adverts announced by the organisation based in New York, the relocations will be done by 2025.
Among the leading offices to be relocated to Nairobi are the Humanitarian Evaluation Specialist and the Director of Programme and Technical Division.
"The position of the Director of the Programme and Technical Division is currently located at UNFPA Headquarters in New York, USA, and will be relocated to Nairobi, Kenya, with its incumbent, by 2025.
"A fully integrated Programme and Technical Division will be in place by August 2024 ahead of the physical move planned between March and September 2025," the agency stated in its job adverts.
UNFPA highlighted that the move is essential as it seeks to extend its reach to more people and make its services more accessible to countries where it is highly active.
The primary mandate of the organisation is to implement various initiatives focused on sexual and reproductive health within the United Nations framework.
Kenya, through Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei, has welcomed the move expressing that it will elevate the stature of the country.
"Another piece of good news that demonstrates a strengthening of Nairobi as the multilateral capital of the Global South," he stated.
However, despite the optimism of the government, reports indicated that some of the staff have reservations over the planned relocation.
Most of the staff are reported to be concerned about job security, with expectations that some may need to voluntarily leave the UN body before the relocation occurs.
“When we asked for an analysis, like share with us the analysis that made you come to this decision, why Nairobi out of other places, why that was decided? None was provided," one of the staff told the international media house, Devex.
