Relations to UN organisations in Nairobi
Next to New York, Geneva and Vienna, Nairobi is the fourth headquarter of the United Nations in the world. At the same time it counts for the only one in a developing country and on the African continent.
The global headquarters of both the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, and the United Nations Programme on Human Settlements, UN-Habitat, are in Nairobi, Kenya. In addition, a number of other UN agencies and programs like UNDP, FAO, UNIDO, ILO, ICAO, UNICEF, UNESCO among others have established regional offices in Nairobi. UN Offices like the UNHCR, UNOCHA, the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), whose deputy chief is Austrian and the United Nations Support Office for AMISOM (UNSOA), which are dealing with political and humanitarian crises as well as refugee matters on the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes Region, have a strong presence in Nairobi.
The United Nations Office in Nairobi, UNON, provides technical support to the various UN programs and offices in Nairobi, in particular conference management, security as well as translation services for the numerous conferences and events taking place at the UN Compound in Gigiri.
After 40 years in Kenya the United Nations have not only become an important centre for UN activities and conferences, but also an essential economic factor and employer for approx. 800 international and 2000 Kenyan staff.
