Readout of the Secretary-General’s meeting with H.E. William Ruto, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya

By United Nations - Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretar

The Secretary-General met yesterday with H.E. William Ruto, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya. They exchanged views on the main peace, security and humanitarian challenges facing the region, including recent developments in Somalia, South Sudan and Burundi. They also discussed the assistance of the United Nations to regional efforts aimed at addressing these challenges.

The Secretary-General expressed his concern about the intention of the Kenyan Government to end the hosting of refugees in Dadaab citing economic, security and environmental burdens. He recognized the extraordinary humanitarian role Kenya has played over the years as one of the world's foremost refugee hosting countries, but pointed to the potentially devastating consequences of prematurely ending refugee hosting for hundreds of thousands of people. The Secretary-Generalnoted the upcoming visits of the Deputy-Secretary General and the High Commissioner for Refugees to Kenya which will provide another opportunity to further engage on thisissue.

The Deputy President and the Secretary-General also exchanged views oncurrent developments in Kenya includingpreparations for the 2017 elections. The Secretary-General underscored the need for a peacefulelection process with full respect for human rights.

Istanbul, 23 May 2016