Is the United Nations in Kenya Fit For Purpose?

President Uhuru Kenyatta and Siddharth Chatterjee the UN Resident Coordinator discuss youth unemployment in Kenya. Credit: State House KenyaBy Yusuf HassanNAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 31 2018 (IPS)The United Nations globally is witnessing some of the most ambitious reforms led by the UN Secretary General Mr. Antonio Guterres. Most relevant to us in Kenya is the entire reform of the development system and how the UN will adapt to a fast-changing development environment. The countdown to the ambitious SDGs is already on, and the Agenda 2030 timeline implies we should already have gone one-fifth of the way towards all the targets. Kenya has been a champion of Agenda 2030 led by our own Ambassador Macharia Kamau, PS MFA, Kenya.These include ridding Kenya of poverty and generally changing the narrative for those at the periphery of development and ensuring no one is left behind.Kenya performed relatively well in the Millennium Development Goals, with that campaign being hailed for lifting more than one billion people out of extreme poverty and making inroads against hunger globally. However, Kenya was one of the countries that did not achieve MDG goals 4 and 5 which was about reducing maternal and child mortality.Yusuf HassanCompared to the MDGs, Agenda 2030 is a doubling down, with global leaders having agreed on close to 170 targets summarized into 17 goals. Though countries will have to concentrate on those targets that are most urgent and of priority to them, the goals still mean great...

Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - October 31, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Yusuf Hassan Tags: Africa Development & Aid Economy & Trade Food & Agriculture Green Economy Headlines Health Humanitarian Emergencies Labour Peace Poverty & SDGs TerraViva United Nations Trade & Investment Source Type: news