On Monday, December 8, 2025, the Head of Mission, H.E. Amb. George M. ORINA, MBS, paid a farewell courtesy call on the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), H.E. Claver Gatete, as his tour of duty in Addis Ababa concludes.

The Head of Mission used the occasion to acknowledge and appreciate UNECA’s centrality in the continent’s economic integration, an undertaking that remained consistent with the aspirations of both the Pact of the Future and with the African Union Agenda 2063. Similarly, H.E. Amb. Orina lauded the Executive Secretary for UNECA’s support in the development of the Lapsset Corridor Project, the advancement of the EAC Blue Economy Strategy and the Northern Corridor Transport Strategy, as well as support for Kenya’s National Tourism Strategy (NTS) 2025–2030. H.E. Amb. Orina further pointed out that this was in line with H.E. President @WilliamsRuto’s advocacy for an integrated continent with Regional Economic Communities and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as critical drivers for Africa’s self-reliance, economic transformation, and global relevance.

On his part, the Executive Secretary thanked Amb. Orina for the farewell courtesy visit and for his keen interest in the Programme of Work of UNECA as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to UNECA. H.E. Gatete further lauded Amb. Orina for his acute technical and political understanding of the workings of UNECA, which was reflective of the Head of Mission’s appreciation of the centrality of multilateralism for an integrated, secure and prosperous Africa.

The Executive Secretary of UNECA further wished Amb. Orina success in his new deployed and pledged UNECA’s continuous support to the incoming Permanent Representative and to the Government of Kenya.