The United Nations Office at Nairobi, the UN headquarters in Africa, was established by the General Assembly in 1996. The office is headed by a Director-General, at the Under-Secretary-General level, serves as the representative office of the Secretary-General in Nairobi and performs representation and liaison functions with permanent missions, the host-country and other Governments, and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in Nairobi, as well as other organizations of the United Nations system in Kenya; facilitates cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations; provides administrative and other support services to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Progra mme (UN-Habitat); provides joint and common services to other organizations of the United Nations system in Kenya, as applicable; and manages and implements the programmes of administration, conference services and public information and provides security and safety services for United Nations staff and facilities in the United Nations Office at Nairobi.

UNON acts as the key administrative centre of the headquarters of UNEP and UN-Habitat, providing them with comprehensive budget and financial management support, informed human resources and procurement services, and vital safety and security coordination. It also offers a broad menu of essential ‘common services’ to other UN agencies in Kenya, provides sophisticated international conference and information facilities, and maintains a world-class business environment at Gigiri, complete with a host of competitive commercial, cultural and sporting facilities.