REPUBLIC OF
KENYA
STATEMENT BY
HON. DR. BONAYA A.
GODANA, EGH, MP.
MINISTER FOR FOREIGN
AFFAIRS AND
INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION
OF THE REPUBLIC
OF KENYA
AT THE
Mr. President,
Let me begin by congratulating you,
on behalf of my delegation, on your unanimous election as President of the
Fifty-Fifth Regular Session of the United Nations General Assembly. I am
confident that under your able leadership and with your vast diplomatic
experience, you will steer the business of this session of the Assembly to the desired outcome. I also
wish to express my
delegation's gratitude to your predecessor Minister Theo Ben Gurirab of Namibia
for the able manner in which he presided over the work of the previous session.
I commend the Secretary-General,
Mr. Kofi Annan, whose commitment in shaping the United Nations to meet the
challenges of the new Millennium has won the respect and admiration of many. I
particularly commend him for his selfless dedication to duty and encourage him
to continue serving the international community with the same zeal.
Mr. President,
The proliferation of conflicts in
Africa continues to pose serious threats to peace, security and stability.
Conflicts have had a negative impact on the continent's development capacity
and continue to undermine efforts to improve the living standards of our
peoples. They have caused considerable destruction with loss of lives,
generated millions of refugees and displaced persons, and exacerbated famine
conditions particularly in Southern Sudan and the Horn of Africa.
Mr.
President,
Africa recognises the primary role
of the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security.
It also recognises the need for cooperation between the United Nations and
Regional Organizations in Peace-keeping and peace building. Such efforts have yielded
positive results in some countries. However, in others like the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, the United Nations is still dragging its feet.
Positive regional initiatives have
been recorded in the cessation of armed hostilities between Ethiopia and the
Eritrea, under the auspices of the OAU. We commend the parties for the maturity
demonstrated. We urge both parties to the conflict to uphold the cease-fire,
while working towards a negotiated settlement of the dispute. The United
Nations is urged to speedily discharge its duty along the common border.
The establishment last month of a
Transitional National Assembly and the election of the President of the
Republic of Somalia was indeed a momentous occasion. I pay tribute to President
Ismail Oman Guelleh of Djibouti for his mediation efforts and commitment to the
cause of peace in Somalia. I call upon the international community to continue
providing support and humanitarian assistance to Somalia. I also hope that the
recently concluded accord on Burundi will bring to an end the seven-year old
civil war and enable the people of that country to redirect their efforts towards reconstruction
and development.
The recent unfortunate experience
in Sierra Leone calls for a review of peace-keeping operations particularly
with regard to safety, commissioning and deployment of troops. Kenya supports
the recent initiative aimed at curbing the trade in illicit diamonds which fuel
and sustain conflicts in Africa. Kenya welcomes the decision by the Security
Council authorising the establishment of an international court to try those
responsible for atrocities committed in the civil war in Sierra Leone. It
should signal to the rebels that the international community will not tolerate
acts against humanity.
Mr. President,
Turning to
disarmament and international security, we are disappointed that the conference
on disarmament for the second year running has not undertaken any substantive
work. This situation is particularly disturbing since the conference is the
sole Multilateral Disarmament Negotiating Forum.
The
conference has for a considerable period of time been expected to conduct serious
negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty and a Treaty on Nuclear
Disarmament. This very Assembly has in various Resolutions urged the Conference
on Disarmament to undertake such negotiations. During its 54th Session for
instance, the Assembly passed four Resolutions which inter alia called
on the conference to get down to serious work.
The lack of
progress at the Disarmament Conference is due to the reluctance of key Nuclear-Weapon
States to submit themselves to negotiate in good faith, despite their
obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. We still expect the
Nuclear Weapon States to honour their commitment to undertake genuine Nuclear
Disarmament, which they renewed during the 2000 Review Conference on the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Failure of the Conference on Disarmament will
send a wrong signal to Non-Nuclear Weapon States and might encourage those
with nuclear ambitions to pursue them.
After the end of the cold war,
there is no longer any justification for maintaining nuclear arsenals, if there
even was one. Kenya calls on the nuclear countries to preserve the outer space
as a nuclear free zone.
Mr. President,
The serious security problem posed
by the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons is a matter of
grave concern to Kenya. We hosted in March this year, the Great Lakes Region
and Horn of Africa Conference on Proliferation of Illicit Small Arms and Light
Weapons. The meeting which was attended by ten states adopted the Nairobi
Declaration. The Declaration calls for greater co-operation and information
sharing between law enforcement and border control officials of States of the
Region; the strengthening and or adoption of National Laws and control
mechanisms governing civilian possession of arms; and urges source countries to
regulate weapons and amts transactions through licensing. The Nairobi
conference was an important initiative. Kenya is in the process of organising a
follow up meeting later this year.
In the same vein, I would like to
express our full support for the United Nations conference on the illicit Trade
in Small Arms and Light Weapons in all its aspects, scheduled for the year
2001. We hope the conference will adequately address our concerns.
Mr. President,
A consequence of conflicts and the
proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons has been the massive
movement of refugees across boundaries. Kenya continues to host a large number
of refugees. This has put a heavy strain on our scarce resources.
In order to address the refugee
phenomena, the Government of Kenya is in the process of finalizing the Refugee
Bill 2000. The bill is a result of joint efforts between the Government of
Kenya, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and other stakeholders.
The bill will provide refugees with a better legal framework in which to
exercise their rights, Kenya would like to see an end to the disparity in the
treatment of refugees globally. We have noted with concern the bewildering
inconsistency in response to the refugee problems in other parts of the world
vis-a-vis those in Africa. We hope that in future, the international community
will respond in a fair and consistent manner to refugee crisis in all parts of
the world.
Mr. President,
The promotion of Human Rights and
Fundamental freedoms is firmly on the international agenda. In Kenya, the
Government effort is geared towards enhancing public awareness of existing
rights and freedoms. In this regard, the Government has prepared a bill seeking
to establish an independent Human Rights Commission to monitor and
protect human rights. It will also advise the Government on its international obligations on the protection and promotion of human rights.
During the last session of the
Assembly, I commended the High Commissioner for Human Rights for adopting a pro-active
approach to human rights issues. We continue to stress that human rights should
be addressed in a global context through a dialogue- based, approach. In this
way, we will realize wide acceptance and observance of human rights.
Mr. President,
The rise in transnational networks
of crime, narcotics, money laundering and terrorism is another matter of grave
concern to my country. The effects from the August 1998 terrorist bombing in
Nairobi are still evident in the economy and lives of Kenyans. We
have undertaken measures to contain this menace by establishing special
policing units, strict control of movement on border areas and other entry
points. We are also collaborating with International Security Agencies such as
Interpol and have signed extradition treaties with a number of States. We call
for concerted efforts to adopt effective international measures to eradicate
the growing and dangerous links between terrorist groups, drug traffickers and
armed criminal groups. The struggle against terrorism can only succeed if there
is cooperation between all countries to track down and apprehend wanted
terrorists.
Mr. President,
Kenya supports the initiative to
restructure and revitalize the United Nations in the economic, social and
related fields. We stress that the promotion of development should remain a
central priority of the Organization.
The process of reforming ECOSOC
should be expedited by organizing its work throughout the year and reinforcing
the role of the Council in providing overall policy guidance for operational
development programmes and funds.
Kenya supports the Implementation
of policies that foster economic growth in developing countries in order to
bridge the widening gap between the rich and poor nations.
My delegation urges the United
Nations and the Bretton Woods Institutions to ensure the facilitation of stronger
and equitable International Multilateral Development Co-operation designed to
address the increasingly growing problems in economic development.
Mr. President,
We are all aware of the challenging
task of eradicating poverty consistent with the overall objectives and
strategies agreed in the outcome of the Copenhagen Declaration, the Plan of
Action of the World Summit for Social Development and the Millennium Summit.
Kenya supports and continues to
implement the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action. This commitment
is manifested in the Government's determination to establish a firm policy and
institutional framework for mainstreaming the poverty eradication agenda. The
formulation of the National Poverty Eradication Plan (NPEP) is a step towards
focusing national policies and operational priorities on the poor as well as
providing an enabling environment for them to participate in economic and
social development.
Further, the Government of Kenya
has developed an interim poverty reduction strategy paper (IPRSP 2001-2003)
which has been prepared in consultation with stakeholders. The strategy paper
outlines measures designed to improve economic performance, while at the same
time identifying key actions to reduce the prevalence of poverty.
Mr. President,
The above measures are part of the
Kenya Government strategy to restore economic growth while maintaining Macro-Economic
Stability. The economic reforms are gaining momentum and are expected to lead to progressive
increase in real per capita GDP growth. Currently, the country
is facing a severe drought, the worst in the country's history. This is
having a debilitating effect on the
economy. Kenya appreciates assistance so far received from the
international community and seeks continued support to deal with
the situation.
Mr. President,
Globalization poses enormous
challenges to developing countries and my country is no exception. Kenya
welcomes initiatives that protect the weaker states from the adverse effects of
globalization.
The ability of African countries to
participate effectively, exercise their rights and meet their obligations in
the World Trade Organization (WTO) is an important determinant in their
integration into the international trading system. My delegation is concerned
over the growing protectionism manifested in attempts to support a new round of
multilateral trade negotiations within the context of WTO. Kenya is firmly
opposed to the introduction of new protectionist barriers to trade camouflaged
as labour, health and environmental standards.
At the same time, we urge for the
implementation of special and differential provisions in respect to developing
and least developed countries because of their low levels of industrialization and
the vulnerable nature of their economies.
Mr. President,
The increasing globalization of
financial markets and capital flows, poses new challenges for mobilization of
adequate resources. Kenya shares the concerns of developing countries over the general
decline in official development assistance (ODA) and the flow of foreign direct
investment (FDI) to developing countries. Portfolio investment which tends to
be volatile and unpredictable as experienced during the 1997 financial crisis,
is a source of financial instability. We support the creation of a new
international financial architecture for a stable financial system. The global
market environment poses enormous challenges and there is urgent need for
supportive international policies that will ensure its efficient functioning.
Mr. President,
The slow progress in Africa's
attainment of sustainable economic growth is linked to the failure to mobilize
resources. This has been aggravated by internal conflicts and the prevalence of
diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS, which in themselves have a causal
relationship with poverty and deprivation. My country in collaboration with
other international agencies is zealously pursuing scientific research to find
a cure to both malaria and HIV/AIDS. We call upon the international community
to support our research efforts in finding a cure for these diseases that
continue to infect millions of people. Kenya wishes to stress the need to
ensure the easy availability of existing dings to those already afflicted.
Given that information technologies
are important prerequisites for development, the developed countries should
direct resources to accelerate development of information technology in Africa.
In this regard, Kenya welcomes the Okinawa Charter Initiative of the G-8
countries and looks forward to the implementation of its aims.
Mr. President,
My delegation notes the commitment
made by G-8 to speed up the pace of implementation of the enhanced Highly
Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative in line with the targets agreed at
the Cologne Summit. However, the initiative itself is suffering from a lack of,
commitment to implement and should be reviewed. We share the concerns expressed
by the leaders from developing countries who attended the Okinawa G-8 Summit,
on the Impact of the Debt Burden to poverty Alleviation Efforts. Debt repayment
in Sub-Saharan Africa is to the detriment of Health, Education and other
essential services. Kenya urges creditor countries to honour pledges for debt
relief and increase Balance of Payment support to developing countries.
Mr. President,
Kenya attaches special importance
to South-South Co-operation. It is in recognition of the important role of
economic cooperation among developing countries that Kenya continues to
actively pursue the economic integration with countries in her sub-region.
The relationship between the
regional and sub-regional economic groupings is seen within the framework of
the African Economic Community which Kenya fully supports.
Mr. President,
The institutions established in
1945 are overdue for an overhaul The world political, economic and security
landscape has changed and so must the institutions. The United Nations must
become a truly universal organization, democratic and representative of the
many diverse interests. Its organs should reflect this rich diversity, with
effective representation and participation at all levels of decision making.
The General Assembly has to re-assert its role within the Organization. The Security
Council must also reflect the principle of equitable geographical
representation and the realities of our times. Kenya seeks to have permanent
seats on the Security Council for Africa, to be filled by African countries on
a rotational basis on the same footing as existing permanent seats.
Transformation of institutions dealing with other issues is equally overdue, if
we are to re-energize the efficacy and effectiveness of the United Nations as
called for in the Millennium Declaration.
Mr. President,
Kenya appreciates the increased
utilization of the United Nations office in Nairobi. We are nevertheless
dissatisfied with the level of involvement with environment and human
settlement issues. There is a huge under-utilised capacity in the Nairobi offices.
It should be noted also that the "Nairobi
Declaration" adopted by
Member States in February 1997 declared UNEP as the principal body in the field
of environment. Kenya is therefore totally opposed to the creation of new
institutions with a similar concern and calls upon the international community
to strengthen the role of UNEP and HABITAT in Nairobi.
In conclusion Mr. President, Kenya
fully embraces the spirit of the Millennium Declaration with a pledge to making
her modest contribution, in the general service of a happier family of nations.
I thank you.