Kenya at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights is this year’s theme of the UN General Assembly whose objective is seeking the restoration of global cooperation towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
As the world leaders converge in New York for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Kenya continues to ramp up its campaign to host various UN offices as efforts for reform take center stage. The UN General Assembly's High-Level Week will take place from September 22nd to September 30th, 2025, under the leadership of Dr. Annalena Baerbock, the 80th President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Germany's former Foreign Minister. This is also the eighth UNGA under the leadership of António Guterres, the current Secretary-General of the United Nations.
The 80th Session of the UN General Assembly is scheduled to present Kenya with a chance to boost its prominence as a multilateral hub while also highlighting its progress towards Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Kenya is anticipated to discuss its contributions to peace, security, and human rights, as well as the development problems that the Global South faces when implementing the Agenda. Kenya will also urge for renewed international commitment and unity in achieving improvements to the international financial framework to fund the SDGs. As a champion for environment and climate resilience, Kenya is expected to advance a unified position for the upcoming COP30 scheduled to take place from 10th to 21st November 2025 in Belém, Brazil, and the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7), scheduled for 8th – 12th December 2025, at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
During the Assembly, Kenya will take part in the 7th Summit of the Committee of Ten (C-10) Heads of State and Government on the Reform of the UNSC which will be a commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration where members countries continue to strengthen support for at least two permanent seats and five non-permanent Security Council seats for African states. Kenya’s participation will further seek to reaffirm the country’s commitment to rules-based multilateralism and global cooperation; advocate for a reformed, strengthened, inclusive, and representative United Nations; and call for support of key UN mandates and their socio-economic impact in Kenya and the Global South as a whole. Kenya will also seek for advancement in reforms of the International Financial Architecture while also advancing the strengthening of African Union Financial Institutions. The country aims to advance a common agenda for the operationalization of the African Monetary Fund, the African Central Bank, and the African Investment Bank as critical instruments for achieving macroeconomic stability, increasing intra-African trade, and strengthening continental financial sovereignty.
President William Ruto, who is leading Kenya's delegation to New York, is expected to speak to the Assembly and reiterate Kenya's strategic role as a major regional partner of the UN. Kenya continues to host various UN regional headquarters in Nairobi, provide substantial support for the UN reform process, regional peace and security, climate action and environmental sustainability, human rights and inclusion, and affordable housing. Kenya anticipates hosting the Global Plastic Secretariat in Nairobi as a result of its initiatives to enhance environment and climate resilience.
During the 2025 Treaty event at the Assembly, Kenya is expected deposit the country’s instrument for ratification of the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement. Presently only 57 countries have ratified the treaty yet 60 countries are required to ratify for BBNJ to come into effect. In June 2025, Parliament under the Treaty Making and Ratification Act (CAP 4D) approved the report on the agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the Conservation and Sustainable use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction agreement.
The Agreement was adopted by the UNGA in 2023 and seeks to address gaps in the conservation and responsible use of marine genetic resources ensuring equitable sharing of resources, capacity building and transfer of marine technology. This treaty recognises Kenya as a coastal state and will seek to strengthen biodiversity conservation, promote scientific knowledge, and regulate illegal unreported and unregulated fishing while positioning Kenya as a regional hub for BBNJ and Blue Economy matters. Kenya’s continental shelf extends approximately 103,400 square kilometers which is about a fifth of its land mass.
As the conversations progress in the main halls at the United Nations, Kenya will seek partnerships with other countries towards the actualization of various strategic interests that feed into or compliment and support the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), Fourth Medium Term Plan (MTP 4) and Kenya Vision 2030. These side meetings will seek to attract Foreign Direct Investments and enhance Kenya’s profile.
On matters environment and climate change, the Committee of the African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) is expected to convene on the margins of the UNGA80 in New York, where Kenya will join members in firming up Africa’s position for the upcoming COP 30 in Brazil, and the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) to be held in Nairobi in December, 2025. As the champion of affordable and adequate Housing, Kenya is expected to marshal diplomatic support during the High-Level Round-table Meeting of the Global Champions on Adequate and Affordable Housing.
On matters health, the World Health Organisation is expected to host a number of conversations under the theme 'Social participation and health equity as drivers of sustainable and prosperous societies,' including discussions on the prevention and control of Noncommunicable Diseases, as well as the promotion of Mental Health and Well-being, which is a major concern in Kenya. The event will bring together global leaders, UN agencies, civil society, and youth to demonstrate innovations and policy solutions that prioritize health, equity, and well-being in decision making.
Other engagements that Kenya will likely participate in especially after the recently held AU-CARICOM at the Africa Climate Summit may include briefings with the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) convened by Mr. Moussa S. Batraki, the Secretary General OACPS; the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (CFAMM) convened by the Prime Minister of Samoa, H.E. Fiame Naomi Mata’afa; the Second G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting; the 37th Annual Meeting of Senior Officials of the Group of 77 and China and finally a High Level Round-table conversation around the theme ‘Driving Growth: Expanding LPG and Clean Cooking Fuel Access in Africa.’ As the country prepares to host the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Nairobi, in March 2026, the Kenyan delegations may get insights from the scheduled Ocean Panel Leaders Meeting on the Sustainable Ocean Economy.
On peace and security, Kenya will continue to seek support towards the sustainability of the stabilization efforts in Sudan, South Sudan (UNMISS), Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia (AUSSOM) and Haiti (MSS).
It is also expected that during the 80th session of the UNGA, Kenya will advocate for the election of its candidates for various international positions, including the International Court of Justice, where Prof. Pheobe Okowa's candidature as judge for the vacancy for the 2025-2027 term has been endorsed by the African Union, at the elections to be held in New York in November 2025.