UNON Tour: Why you should visit United Nations Nairobi

Hello folks!

How much do you love peace?

How much do you value security?

How much would you love to develop?

How clean is the environment  you want to live in?

How much do you respect human rights?

 How much do you hate war?

Created out of the ashes of World War II, countries came together to form the UN in 1945   so that they can be able to enhance global progress by solving humanity’s greatest challengers like poverty, hunger and war.

On 26^th June 1945 at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center the UN Charter was signed by 50/51 original members. Poland  which is an original member was not present but sent a representative. Today the UN has  193 members.

What I learnt during UNON Tour

The UN Charter

The charter consists of six convening bodies. They include:

1. General Assembly
2. The Security Council
3. The Secretariat
4. Economic and Social Council
5. International Court of Justice
6. The Trusteeship Council

UN Languages

1. Arabic
2. Russia
3. English
4. Chinese
5. French
6. Spanish

UN Headquarters (each is headed by a director general)

1. New York
2. Vienna
3. Geneva
4. Nairobi

UN Pillars (3)

1. Human rights
2. Peace and security
3. Global development

Why the UN?

• The greatest success story of the UN is the fact  that no Third World War has occurred.
• Small pox has been completely wiped off the World
• Stability has returned to War-torn states
• Millions of children have been protected from diseases like Malaria and Polio
• Human rights are enforced into International  Law
• The hole in the ozone layer has been healed
• The 17 Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)  are in  place for the achievement of vision 2030 after the coming together of all the 193 states  on 25^th September 2015

UN Funds

This are gathered through the contribution of 0.001% of the GDP of  all member countries

What to see/do at the UN

• You will receive a briefing on the history and the role of the UN
• Visit the conference (14) rooms and learn about the historic meetings held here.

• Conference room number 2 has a carrying capacity of up to 1000 individuals. I was happy to learn that  World leaders like Antonio Gutiérrez, Barack Obama and the late Pope Francis used this room in the recent years

• Learn about UN funds and programs
• See the Green Building

• See incredible  Artwork donated by the UN and its member states
• The Memorial Garden that was erected in honor of the victims of the August 1988 bombing at the Us  Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania

• The index finger that was donated by the Chile government as an emphasis on environmental conservation

• Walk through the 193 flags

Did you know?

• There are still 17 colonies in the world
• The UN security has 5 permanent members who were the victors of World War II ( France, UK,US, China and Russia) and10 non-permanent members including Kenya.
• The UN provides food to 80 million receipts
• The UN vaccinates 40% of the World children
• Assists 67 countries with their elections every year
• Protects and promotes our, health, human right and the environment

UN Charter Day

The World celebrates this day on 24^th of October to honor the UN’s pivotal role in promoting Human Rights, Social Progress and World Peace.

When can you visit?

Monday-Thursdays 9am -4pm

Fridays 9am -2pm

 The UN tours has been happening  since January 2012 in the UNON (United Nations Office in Nairobi) and much earlier at the main headquarters in New York and the other two regional headquarter in Geneva; Switzerland and Vienna; Austria.

Until my tour of the UNON, I didn’t know it was among the top thing to do in Nairobi for most travelers and tourists visiting Kenya.

Charges.

The charges are Ksh.500.00 for Kenyan adults, Ksh.400 for Kenyan students above 18 years and ksh.300 for Kenyan students below 18 years.

How to book for the UN tour.

Write an email to un.tours@un.org, stating that you would like to have the tour. Or visit www.visitors.unon.org and submit a request.

Upon a successful submission, you details will be sent to the security desk at the main gate to facilitate your access into the compound.

As expected, security is tight and without official identification, access into the premise is an obvious no. If you are driving, you’ll want to get there much earlier because the visitors parking is on first come first served basis.

Have you visited the UN in Nairobi or another UN headquarters? Share your experience in the comments section. Thank you!