Kenya will, jointly with Norway, host this year’s global
education security conference, Interior and National Administration Cabinet
Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has revealed.
Murkomen said preparations are on course for the 5th
International Conference on the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) to be held in
Nairobi in December 2025.
During a high-level meeting with the state secretary to the
Ministry of International Development of the Kingdom of Norway, Stine Renate
Haheim, Murkomen lauded the close ties between the two nations.
“Kenya and Norway are working together in preparation for
the fifth international conference on the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD), to be
held in Nairobi in December 2025,” affirmed Murkomen.
He added that the conference will strengthen the close and
collaborative relationship between Nairobi and Oslo.
This is only the second time Africa has hosted the event
after Nigeria.
The SSD is a political commitment to protect education
during armed conflict.
Murkomen noted that Kenya is also partnering with Norway on
a number of projects that are of mutual interest to the two nations.
Separately, Murkomen held a series of engagements on the
sidelines of the ongoing 8th session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk
Reduction (GP2025) in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
He met with Prof. Walter Kalin, Kenya’s envoy for the
chairmanship of the Platform of Disaster Displacement (PDD), who briefed him on
the work being undertaken by the platform and the progress made towards
implementing Kenya’s priorities during its chairmanship.
In recognising the importance of the seat, the CS said Kenya
is deeply honoured to lead the PDD and is fully committed to advancing the
protection of people displaced by disasters and climate-related events.
“We look forward to continued collaboration with our fellow
steering group members: Australia, Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Costa
Rica, the Maldives, Mexico, Norway, Morocco, the Philippines, Senegal, and
Switzerland, as well as our standing invitees— United Nations High Commission
on Refugees (UNHCR) and IOM— and Implementation partners,UNOPS, in pursuing
this vital agenda,” he stated.
The CS also held a bilateral meeting with the Principal
Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra, affirming
the two countries’ long-standing cordial relations across various sectors.
“We look forward to strengthening our cooperation and ties
of friendship in Disaster Risk Reduction and Disaster Risk Management through
training and skills development as well as equipment, while bolstering trade,”
stated Murkomen.
The PDD is a State-led initiative that aims to follow up on
the work started by the Nansen Initiative and to implement the Nansen
Initiative - Agenda for the Protection of Cross-Border Displaced Persons in the
Context of Disasters and Climate Change, that was endorsed by more than 100
States in October 2015.
PDD works on environmental migration and disaster
displacement, directly building on policy work and institutional expertise.
Murkomen also addressed delegates at the ongoing conference,
convened under the auspices of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk
Reduction (UNDRR).
Together with the Vice President of the Republic of Zambia,
Mutale Nalumango, Murkomen underscored the need for countries to scale up
investment in resilience-building initiatives to better manage disaster risks.
The Special Session, titled ‘Investing in Resilient
Infrastructure for Africa – Tools, Strategies and Partnerships,’ served as a
valuable platform to exchange experiences and best practices from around the
world.
The CS showcased Kenya’s achievements under the Sendai Framework,
particularly in strengthening infrastructure and institutional capacities.
“I emphasised the critical role of Public-Private
Partnerships (PPPs) in supporting governments' efforts to design, build, and
maintain infrastructure that can withstand future shocks. Resilient
infrastructure must be a central pillar in our pursuit of sustainable
development,” he stated.
Accompanying the CS in the conference is Dr. Fancy Too, Kenya’s permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, along with members of the Kenya delegation to GP2025.
