Kenya

Allow me to extend to Mr. Kavan, on behalf of my delegation, sincere congratulations on his election as the President of the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh regular session. May I also thank his predecessor, Mr. Han Seung- soo, whose tenure of office coincided with one of the most trying periods in modern history following the 11 September terrorist attacks in the United States. We appreciate the excellent manner in which he handled the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly. May I also commend the efforts, courage and vision of the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, who has continued to be a beacon of strength and hope. We salute him. In addition, we also wish to welcome Switzerland to the United Nations and look forward to the admission of East Timor. Coming from a continent plagued with many obstacles, we believe that the fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly affords us yet another opportunity to critically revisit the promises enumerated in the Millennium Declaration and to take stock of progress made so far. Two years down the line, we should give an account of our commitment to the Declaration. In many instances, I am afraid, we shall be found wanting. We have not lived up to our promises and, as a result, many in the world are more desperate today than they were two years ago. They had placed their hope in our vision, our sincerity, our commitment and our sense of urgency and purpose. Various United Nations conferences and meetings have been held since the 1990s to address the challenges confronting developing countries. It is therefore regrettable that there has been insufficient political will to implement the decisions arising therefrom. Meagre resources have been committed to debt reduction, improving market access, human resource development and tackling the HIV/AIDS pandemic and other diseases. The current global financial framework has demonstrated its inadequacy in dealing with the problems facing developing countries. The decline in official development assistance flows and foreign direct investment is an issue of concern. Despite efforts made to achieve sustained economic growth and sustainable development, conditions in the international arena have not been adequately supportive. For a start, my delegation calls for greater emphasis to be placed on concessionary lending and greater use of grants. Moreover, global trade arrangements have tended to benefit industrialized countries. Africa's present share of global trade is less than 2 per cent. While industrialized countries continue to provide substantial subsidies for their agricultural sector, developing countries have been forced to cease similar support. This, combined with tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade, has meant that our products stand no chance of competing with the products from the North. We must therefore build on the momentum achieved at Doha as well as encourage initiatives, such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act and the European Union/ African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States trade arrangements, to enable our countries take advantage of the opportunities in international trade. Many developing countries, including Kenya, are experiencing a net outflow of resources, mainly due to debt service obligations. As a result, there are fewer resources targeted towards basic social services, thus compounding the poverty situation. We therefore call 26 for an overhaul of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative eligibility criteria so that countries facing high levels of poverty and debt burden qualify for debt relief. The launching of the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) have rekindled great hopes in the African continent. These initiatives have made it clear that the primary responsibility for the development of Africa lies in the hands of the Africans themselves. The decision by the United Nations General Assembly to hold a high-level plenary meeting on NEPAD on 16 September 2002 recognizes the importance of that initiative, which emphasizes the twin principles of ownership and partnership. Kenya calls for genuine partnership in the implementation of resolutions, commitments and, especially, the Millennium Development Goals, the Monterrey Consensus and the Outcome of the just concluded World Summit on Sustainable Development. The special session of the General Assembly on children, held in May 2002, provided the international community with an opportunity to renew its commitment to the rights-based approach to children's programmes and activities. The Government of Kenya has made continued efforts to improve the welfare of children. Kenya has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and has signed the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. Kenya has also ratified instruments prohibiting the involvement of children in armed conflict. A comprehensive Children's Statute was enacted in parliament and became operational on 1 March 2002. Kenya also has in place an early childhood development policy, safeguarding children from birth until the age of six. My delegation notes with concern that the reduction in funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) by a major contributor will have a negative impact on ongoing programmes in many developing countries. The UNFPA continues to play a critical role in assisting the most vulnerable in society — namely, women and adolescents. It is our hope that voluntary contributions to the organization will be restored to their former level and further increased as a matter of urgency. With regard to the United Nations Centre in Nairobi, my delegation welcomes the improvement in the level of utilization of the conference facilities. We encourage the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures to ensure that all meetings and activities on environment and matters related to human settlements are held at the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) so as to utilize the excellent facilities there and to further strengthen the role of the Organization in all matters charged to it in conformity with the headquarters rule. My delegation would like to commend the fifty- sixth session of the General Assembly for elevating the Commission on Human Settlements to a fully fledged programme now known as the Governing Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) to be its secretariat. We have no doubt that the upgrading will facilitate the implementation of the Habitat Agenda and the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium. The Secretary-General's programme budget for the biennium 2002-2003 shows that the activities undertaken by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN-Habitat continue to depend heavily on extrabudgetary resources. This has severely constrained the ability of both organizations to play their roles effectively due to an unpredictable financial resource base and under-provision. We urge the Secretary-General to ensure stability and predictability in funding UNEP and UN-Habitat through the United Nations regular budget. My delegation would like to congratulate the newly appointed High Commissioner for Human Rights, His Excellency Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello. We would like to assure him of our full cooperation, and we look forward to working very closely with him. At the same time, we wish to pay tribute to the outgoing High Commissioner, Her Excellency Mrs. Mary Robinson, for her able leadership. Kenya wishes to underscore the importance of treating human rights issues in a balanced manner. This very Assembly has consistently reaffirmed: “that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated and that the international community must treat human rights globally in a fair and equal manner, on the same 27 footing and with the same emphasis”. (resolution 56/165, seventh preambular paragraph) I am afraid that this has not always been so. There is a genuine concern that too much emphasis has been given to political rights at the expense of economic and social rights, such as the right to development. These are vital issues that the international community can no longer afford to take lightly as it endeavours to eliminate hunger and poverty and ensure a just standard of living for all people. Kenya holds the view that the General Assembly should play a leading role in spearheading development initiatives, as envisaged in the Charter. We welcome the progress already made in the reorganization and revitalization of the General Assembly. This organ should now reclaim its leadership role in focusing and shaping debate on issues of global interest. On issues of world security, Kenya has a long record of participation in peacekeeping operations. Today, Kenya is the sixth largest troop contributor to United Nations peacekeeping operations in different parts of the world. We are particularly happy to be associated with the success of United Nations peacekeeping operations in East Timor, Sierra Leone, and on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Greater emphasis should be put on the deployment of adequate force levels to missions in Africa. In particular, we would like to see greater support in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Africa is a continent ravaged by conflicts and instability. However, the recent progress in the resolution of some of these conflicts is very encouraging. In particular, the signing of a protocol between the Government of the Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) in Machakos, Kenya on 20 July 2002 was a very welcome development. Other positive developments towards lasting peace in Africa include the signing of an agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Rwandese Republic, the holding of peaceful elections in Sierra Leone after years of bitter civil war, and continuing efforts towards reconciliation of the warring factions in Somalia. We also welcome the recent positive developments in Angola. Kenya will continue with its mediation efforts in the region and in the continent as a whole. On the important question of reform of the Security Council, Kenya calls for the speedy conclusion of negotiations aimed at equitable representation and an increase in membership in the Security Council. With the establishment of the Peace and Security Council as an important organ of the new African Union, Africa must now play its rightful role in matters of international peace and security. It is time Africa was accorded the elevated status it deserves in the Security Council. Kenya believes in the rule of law and will support all genuine efforts to this end. We subscribe to peaceful settlement of disputes through regional efforts, the International Tribunals and the International Court of Justice. Kenya fully supports the historic milestone of the adoption of the Rome Statute in 1998 and its entry into force on 1 July 2002. Impunity for serious war crimes is indeed a denial of justice, which must be brought to an end. In 2001, we witnessed the most devastating form of international terrorism in the multiple terrorist attacks of 11 September. As a country that faced a similar attack in 1998, Kenya strongly believes that terrorism can never be justified under any circumstances. We fully support the implementation of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) and have already ratified the 12 anti-terrorism conventions. The process of domesticating them is already under way. In conclusion, Kenya looks forward to greater commitment to build a secure and more prosperous world for all. The destiny of mankind is inextricably intertwined in spite of national boundaries. Events in the global arena have clearly demonstrated that the effects of ignorance, poverty, disease and insecurity in one region or another country can impact negatively on the well-being of the rest of the world. Let us get together and build a world where all can live in peace and prosperity.