By Kwanta Douglas –
As Diplomats from Africa’s three representatives and that of the Caribbean at the UN Security Council gather in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, they will be working on a common agenda as the continent faces three crucial crises.
Specifically, the diplomats from hosts Kenya, Tunisia, Niger and the Saint Vincent and Grenadines, often known within UN circles as A3 Plus 1, are meeting for a common agenda on peace and security, according to The EastAfrican.
It quoted Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau as saying in a statement the group is strategising on the “execution of her peace and security mandate at both the UN Security Council and at the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC).”
He was referring to the AU’s 15-member body which usually advises on action to be taken when member states face security trouble such as in events of unconstitutional changes in power. The meeting in Nairobi is also being attended by representatives from the Permanent Observer Mission of the African Union to the United Nations, in New York.
The African Group has traditionally worked with the Caribbean, based on historical ties as well as common problems usually discussed at the UN Security Council, to front a common stand on issues such as terrorism and general issues of peace and security.
“The A3+1 arrangement has 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,” Kamau said.