Lamu Governor Issa Abdalla Timamy has taken the county’s locally led peacebuilding experience to UNGA81, calling for stronger partnerships between local governments, communities and international actors.
Addressing an Open Society Foundations side event in New York, Timamy linked peace and stability to investment, jobs, infrastructure and local economic development, highlighting Lamu’s growing investment opportunities.
Lamu is seeking to position local governments as contributors of knowledge and solutions in global peacebuilding, while using international partnerships to strengthen community resilience and development.
Lamu County has taken its locally led peacebuilding experience to the global stage, with Governor Issa Abdalla Timamy calling for stronger partnerships between local governments, communities and international actors to promote lasting peace, safety and development.
Governor Timamy made the remarks in New York on September 22, 2026, where he served as a keynote speaker at an Open Society Foundations (OSF) side event held on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81).
The event focused on “Local Multilateralism for Peace and Safety”, providing a platform for local governments and other stakeholders to discuss how locally driven approaches can contribute to peace, security and sustainable development.
Addressing the gathering, Timamy emphasised that everyday safety is shaped at the local level, where people directly experience peace, security, access to services, trust in institutions and social cohesion.
He said Lamu's experience demonstrates that sustainable peace is built within communities through approaches that place communities, trust, resilience and partnerships at the centre of governance.
The Governor also called for a broader understanding of international cooperation, arguing that local governments should not be viewed merely as recipients of international assistance and knowledge.
“Local governments should not only be recipients of global knowledge; we can also be producers of global knowledge.”
He said local governments possess practical experiences and solutions that can contribute to global conversations on peace, development and governance.
Timamy also connected Lamu's peacebuilding efforts to economic opportunity, saying improved peace and stability are creating conditions for increased investor interest in the county.
He highlighted opportunities in areas including industrial development, oil refining, palm-oil processing and other private-sector investments.
According to the Governor, greater peace and predictability can influence how investors assess a destination and its long-term economic potential.
“When a place becomes more peaceful and predictable, investors begin to see opportunity rather than risk.”
He said the potential benefits extend beyond attracting capital, noting that increased investment can create opportunities for young people, support local businesses, improve infrastructure, strengthen supply chains and contribute to wider economic integration.
The Governor described Lamu's UCLG Peace Prize 2026 as more than recognition of the county's peacebuilding work.
He characterised the recognition as an economic asset as well as a responsibility, arguing that peace creates conditions in which development and investment can take root.
The connection between peace and economic development formed an important part of Lamu's message at the international forum, where the county sought to demonstrate how locally led peacebuilding can contribute to broader development outcomes.
The county's participation also comes as Lamu seeks to build on its growing international recognition and share lessons from its peacebuilding experience with other local governments and international partners.
Timamy called for greater recognition of local governments in global peace and development discussions.
He advocated for stronger systems through which local experiences can be shared, solutions exchanged and successful approaches adapted to other contexts.
The Governor's message was that international partnerships should work in both directions, allowing local governments to benefit from global expertise while also contributing their own knowledge and practical solutions.
For Lamu, this means positioning local peacebuilding experience as part of a wider global learning process focused on preventing violence, building trust and strengthening community resilience.
The Governor was accompanied by Shee Kupi Shee, Director of Disaster Risk Management and Peace Building in the County Government of Lamu.
Shee played a key role in coordinating Lamu County's participation and preparations for the international engagement, working with partners and stakeholders to position the county's locally led peacebuilding experience within discussions on peace, safety and local multilateralism.
The UNGA81 engagement builds on Lamu's recent international recognition, including its UCLG Peace Prize 2026, while providing an opportunity for the county to exchange ideas and experiences with other local governments, communities and international organisations.
The county's participation at UNGA81 reflects an effort to move local peacebuilding experiences beyond recognition and into wider knowledge exchange and partnership building.
Timamy concluded his address by calling for local multilateralism to become a practical system for sharing solutions, building trust and preventing violence, starting with the communities served by local governments.
For Lamu, the engagement in New York offers both an opportunity to showcase its experience and a platform to learn from other communities and international partners.
The county is seeking to translate these engagements into partnerships that can support peace, investment and local development, while contributing local perspectives to the wider global conversation on sustainable peace and security.