Kenya Participates in ASEAN's 57th Anniversary Celebration
The 57th anniversary of ASEAN was held at the Royal Thai Embassy in Nairobi on August 7, 2024 hosted by Her Execllency Ms. Morakot Janemathukorn, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Thailand to Kenya and Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Nairobi. Ambassador Eliphas Barine, Director-General Political and Diplomatic Affairs, represented Dr. Korir Sing'Oei, Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
Dr. Sing'Oei thanked Ambassador Janemathukorn for organizing and hosting the commemorative celebrations reiterating the cordial relations between the two countries. He underscored the importance of regional blocs in promoting integration, peace, and security through trade and investment in various sectors.
Dr. Sing’Oei further called for reformation within the global financial architecture in order to liberate resources for climate change, digital inclusion, and equity, especially in the global south. He encouraged ASEAN entrepreneurs to invest in Kenya. He noted that Kenya as an active member of the East African Community believed in regional economic communities as facilitators for multilateralism, peace, and security and was keen to borrow best practices from ASEAN.
Ambassador Janemathukorn highlighted the role of the ASEAN Committee in Nairobi (ACN) especially in integrating ASEAN's identity in Kenya through cultural events noting that an ASEAN Cultural Festival was slated for November 2024.
ASEAN Day is observed yearly on August 8 to commemorate ASEAN's foundation. The Bangkok Declaration, signed on August 8, 1967, founded ASEAN as a regional organization to promote economic growth, political stability, and social improvement in its member states. ASEAN comprises Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
The 57th anniversary of ASEAN was attended by High Commissioners, Permanent Representatives of the UN Office in Nairobi, UNEP, HABITAT, and International Organizations, members of the Diplomatic Corp as well as students from the Department of Peace and International Security of Daystar University.
Reviewing Kenya’s Foreign Policy
The Kenya Foreign Policy published in November 2014, has served as the framework for Kenya's diplomatic interactions over the past decade. This policy was a significant milestone, as it was the first comprehensive framework of its kind since the country’s independence. In the context of a dynamic international landscape characterized by the decline of multilateralism and the emergence of a multipolar world, there has been increasing need for review of the policy to ensure that it remains effective in promoting Kenya's national interests and values, as anchored on the principles of Peace diplomacy, Economic diplomacy, Environment Diplomacy, Diaspora Diplomacy, and Cultural Diplomacy.