EASF Holds Press Conference

To commemorate the International Peace Day which is celebrated on the 21st September every year, EASF organized a press conference at its Secretariat on Westwood Park Road, Karen, Nairobi.

The event started with opening speech by the Director of EASF Dr. Abdillahi Omar Bouh where he pointed out the important role of the organization in maintaining peace and security. ‘’ The media has a vital role to play in promoting the culture of peace and reporting on violations of human rights’’ said Dr. Omar Bouh. The Director also added that the commemorations of the two events this year, i.e., the 70th anniversary of the Declaration of the Human Rights and the commemoration of the International Day of Peace go hand in hand as one cannot exist without with the other.

A moment of silence was also observed in respect of those who have lost their lives in wars and conflicts around the world and as a sign of respect for the victims of the Kenya Westgate attack exactly five years ago. One of the important Sustainable Development Goal is the SDG 16 which calls for “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”. The goal talks about inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. As a regional organization based in Kenya, EASF is one of the five continental Standby Forces mandated to promote and enhance peace and security in the region.
 
The Head of the Peace Operations Department in EASF, Brigadier Albert Kendagor gave a presentation on EASF’s role and functions. He mentioned that EASF has currently over 5000 personnel from the ten member states as pledged Standby Force ready for any eventual deployment. He also mentioned the recent participation of EASF in Comoros in terms of a fact finding mission and an election observer mission deployed in July this year and the contribution of the Eastern Africa countries in current peace support missions namely in the South Sudan, Somalia and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Many media houses were represented at the press conference including the print and electronic media.

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