Kenya

Allow me, at the outset, to convey to you, Sir, on behalf of my delegation, my warm congratulations on your election as the President of the fifty-second session of the United Nations General Assembly. I am confident that your work will meet with great success throughout the session, particularly in guiding us in the task of reforming and restructuring the United Nations in preparation for the challenges ahead. I would like to pay tribute to your predecessor, Ambassador Razali Ismail, Permanent Representative of Malaysia, for the excellent manner in which he conducted our deliberations during the previous session. I also take this opportunity to commend the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his vision and devotion to the service of the United Nations. The creation of the United Nations by the founding fathers was a courageous decision. Although their objectives are yet to be fully realized, Kenya is convinced that they are still valid, and we remain fully committed to their achievement. The world has undergone tremendous transformation since the signing of the United Nations Charter in San Francisco 52 years ago. We have witnessed the end of the East-West military and political rivalry, which at times crippled decision-making in the United Nations system. New opportunities have emerged and the role of the United Nations has diversified, with the international community placing greater expectations on the Organization. Under the able leadership of His Excellency President Daniel T. arap Moi, Kenya has undertaken bold political and economic reforms whose benefits we are beginning to realize. We are committed and determined to continue forging national unity to enhance the process of democratization and socio-economic development. It is against this background that I wish to address some of the issues contained in the agenda of this session. In recapping the events of the past years, we note that the United Nations has made efforts to secure international peace and security. We regret that the peace dividend expected after the cold war has not materialized. Instead, the total volume of assistance to developing countries has declined, and the scourge of conflicts in various parts of the world, and in Africa in particular, has revealed the frightening proportions of ethnic and nationalistic hostilities and humanitarian crises. Intra-State conflicts have torn some of our nations apart, as they pose threats to security, social cohesion and economic progress. Some of these conflicts have proved difficult to prevent, manage or resolve. They have caused diversion of resources from developmental purposes to non- productive use. Kenya believes in the peaceful resolution of conflicts and encourages the settlement of disputes through negotiations, mediation, conciliation and arbitration as opposed to use of force. His Excellency President Daniel T. arap Moi, along with other leaders in Africa, has spent considerable time and resources coordinating peace initiatives in southern Sudan, Somalia, 14 Burundi, Rwanda and the former Zaire, among other places. We are happy to report that the stalled peace process concerning the conflict in southern Sudan was re-energized following the extraordinary Summit of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) held in Nairobi on 8 and 9 July 1997, at which the Sudanese Government accepted the Declaration of Principles, which calls on all factions to work together. In addition, during the IGAD Ministerial meeting held in Nairobi on 22 September 1997, the parties to the conflict agreed on 28 October 1997 as the date for the next meeting. Kenya believes that the parties must have the courage and political will to negotiate in good faith. It is equally important for the international community to actively support this process by making financial resources available as well as by exerting pressure on all the parties to rededicate themselves to finding a lasting solution to the conflict. We pay tribute to the IGAD Partnership Forum for its supportive role vis- à-vis the IGAD initiative. The prolonged conflict in Somalia remains a matter of great concern to Kenya. The continued absence of that sisterly State among the family of nations is indeed regrettable. We maintain that reconciliation of the warring factions is critical to finding a just, lasting and comprehensive peace settlement to the conflict. The international community, in particular the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the United Nations, has an important role in assisting in the process of reconciliation. The crisis in the Republic of Congo is similarly a matter of grave concern to Kenya. We are concerned that three months have elapsed since the President of Gabon, Omar Bongo, called upon the Security Council to deploy a United Nations force to assist in normalizing the situation in that country. We wish to reiterate the OAU position stated at the recent Security Council ministerial meeting — namely, that there is a need for urgent intervention by the United Nations. Likewise, the situation in Burundi is also of concern to my country. We support the efforts by Mwalimu Julius Nyerere to find a negotiated solution to the problem in that country. We urge President Pierre Buyoya to take into account the concerns of the subregion and the international community in general and work towards a negotiated settlement. Kenya wishes to reiterate the position taken on the conflict in Sierra Leone by the thirty-third session of the OAU Conference of Heads of State and Government, held in Harare, Zimbabwe, in June 1997, that the international community desist from recognizing the military junta. We support the efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in the search for a solution to the crisis in that country and urge the junta to return Sierra Leone to constitutional rule. We are convinced that quick and effective action by the international community is necessary, as underscored by President Tejan Kabbah during his intervention before the Assembly on 1 October last. My Government is also concerned with the political developments in the Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros. We support the efforts by the Organization of African Unity aimed at bringing the Government and other parties together with a view to seeking a solution to the problem. We urge the people of the Comoros to work towards maintaining the sovereignty, national unity and integrity of their country. Kenya has been involved in the peace process in Angola since 1975. We are encouraged by the progress that has been made towards finding a peaceful solution to the prolonged crisis in that country. However, we wish to reiterate the need for both parties, in particular UNITA, to cooperate fully in the implementation of the Lusaka Protocol, the agreed framework for peace in Angola. At this point in time, any alternative will only hurt the people of Angola. On a positive note, we are encouraged by the cooperation between the United Nations and ECOWAS that enabled Liberia to hold successful elections, won by President Taylor. In this regard, we commend the efforts of ECOWAS, the international community and the Liberian people for the manner in which the elections were concluded. We wish Liberia success in the difficult task of reconstruction and post-conflict peace-building. Kenya believes that a continued United Nations presence and focused support of the international community are critical in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Liberia, including the repatriation and reintegration of refugees. We welcome the Secretary- General’s intention to establish a peace-building support office in Monrovia upon the termination of the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL). We are convinced that this will assist the new Government in its efforts to rebuild Liberia’s economy and contribute towards the promotion of peace and stability in the region. 15 Kenya welcomes the recent movements towards the resumption of negotiations by the parties to the conflict in the Middle East. We wish to urge them to honour in good faith the Oslo agreements they have entered into and to refrain from activities that have the potential of undermining the peace process. There is a need for the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to resume dialogue in order to resolve all outstanding issues. Kenya will continue to support the parties in their search for a just, durable and comprehensive peace. We also welcome the Secretary-General’s initiative in Cyprus and the efforts of the international community to bring the parties to the negotiating table. In this respect, we applaud the face-to-face intercommunal talks held in Switzerland on 11 August last. The world would like to see both the Greek and Turkish Cypriots resolve their problem of more than two decades. There is therefore a need to intensify efforts to find a durable solution to that problem. We call upon the international community to also support the talks by exerting pressure on both sides and to refrain from activities that might be seen as impeding the peace process. The humanitarian emergencies accompanying these conflicts require an urgent response from the international community. Thousands of people are affected in one way or another. Refugees and displaced persons are experiencing varying degrees of suffering on a daily basis. While reiterating our support for the work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees and of the international community, we feel that it is vital to enhance closer coordination and cooperation between all actors to facilitate the complementarity of efforts. We are committed to the promotion of universal humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law. Kenya, indeed, has been host to thousands of refugees from our region. We have stretched our meagre resources to accommodate the refugees but regret that some of them have abused our hospitality and caused problems of insecurity in our own country. We urge the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to work closely with the Government of Kenya in monitoring and verifying the genuineness of the refugees in order to address this problem. Kenya and other African countries have contributed troops to various United Nations peacekeeping missions worldwide. We view the reluctance by the international community to support operations in Africa as a departure from the Charter responsibilities of the United Nations. We recognize that concerted efforts by the countries affected and others in the region are necessary in the settlement of conflicts. The involvement of regional organizations in the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts should therefore not entail any derogation of the responsibilities of the United Nations. We wish to reaffirm that the role of peacekeeping and peace enforcement throughout the world must remain the responsibility of the United Nations and in particular of the Security Council, in accordance with the Charter. In this respect, Africa expects to see swift handling of the conflict in the Congo (Brazzaville), in much the same way as was the case in the Balkans. My country welcomes the results of the Oslo Diplomatic Conference on an International Total Ban on Anti-Personnel Landmines. This constitutes a significant contribution to the realization of ending the use of weapons that have wreaked havoc in many parts of the world. Kenya commends the international community for its efforts to bring to an end the use of these deadly weapons. A prominent feature in recent years has been the increasing globalization of the world economy. Although the global economy continues to show modest growth, with the highest performance being experienced in East Asia, Africa’s economy still lags behind. The continent remains highly vulnerable to adverse international economic policies and natural calamities due to its limited capacity to respond. The economy is characterized by poverty and underdevelopment. The per capita incomes are the lowest in the world, and most of the countries are unable to feed their growing population. At the same time, the marginalization of the continent continues, with unsustainable external debt being a major factor. We welcome the measures taken by the international community at the bilateral and multilateral levels to mitigate the debt burden. It is evident, however, that Africa’s indebtedness continues to be a major constraint in the economic development of the continent despite efforts by many countries to implement economic reforms. These efforts have not met with adequate bilateral and multilateral financial support, resulting in limited prospects for economic growth. We underscore that the reduction or cancellation of both the bilateral and multilateral debt of the heavily indebted countries needs serious consideration. Kenya urges the international community to seriously address the external debt crisis. 16 In addition, we regret that the agreed official development assistance target of 0.7 per cent has not been met by most donor countries but has, as a matter of fact, declined to approximately 0.25 per cent. Hence, the implementation of the United Nations Agenda for Development should address all these issues and place Africa in its proper perspective. We appeal to the industrialized countries to reverse the declining trend in official development assistance and to honour their commitments by attaining the agreed target. Kenya believes that to achieve good results, development must be people- oriented and involve all actors, with emphasis on human resource development, application of science and technology, and the creation of employment and income- generating opportunities. Africa has abundant human and natural resources, which, if properly harnessed, could generate wealth for the people of the continent. Kenya is committed to the promotion of South-South cooperation and urges that necessary measures be taken to ensure effective collaboration. In this regard, Kenya and other countries of the region are promoting regional cooperation in order to integrate our economies in the long run. We wish to appeal to our partners to complement these efforts by intensifying technical and financial support. We underscore that without social and economic progress it is difficult to achieve peace. The liberalization of trade regimes and the promotion of an open and secure multilateral trading system are vital requirements for the acceleration of economic development. As a member of the World Trade Organization, Kenya is committed to the liberalization of both trade and investment regimes. In this regard, unilateral protectionist actions, which are inconsistent with multilateral trade agreements, should not be allowed to interfere with these arrangements. Kenya is committed to the implementation of the outcomes of the various United Nations conferences, such as the Rio United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development, the Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development, the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women, the Istanbul United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and the Rome World Food Summit, among others. We are disappointed that the outcome of these conferences has to a large extent remained unimplemented. In the course of implementing Agenda 21, my country has initiated innovative steps to protect and preserve the ecosystem. These include public awareness programmes, environmental education and the Great Rift Valley Conservancy Programme, which ensures integrated utilization of land. We urge the international community to honour their commitments by making available new and additional resources for the attainment of the intended objectives. As the United Nations continues to introduce measures to ensure reduction of waste, it is imperative that the Organization ensure maximal and rational use of the existing facilities within the United Nations system. As host to the only United Nations headquarters in the developing world, we are concerned that the facilities at the Nairobi offices are underutilized. In this regard, Kenya wishes to see maximal utilization of the facilities available in Nairobi, the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat). We therefore wish to urge that General Assembly resolutions requiring meetings to be held at their respective headquarters should, to the extent possible, be adhered to. We are further concerned that both UNEP and Habitat suffer from inadequate funding despite their enormous potential. We note that these two United Nations bodies need to be strengthened by streamlining their administrative and financial management. Above all, they require adequate and predictable financial resources from all sources in order to fulfil their mandates. In this context, we would like to request the Secretary-General to expedite the implementation of measures expected to revitalize the two institutions. In addition, we wish to appeal to the donor community to honour their financial commitments and release any blocked funds to enhance the effective operation of UNEP and Habitat. Kenya will continue to ensure that the United Nations offices in Nairobi operate in a smooth environment. The challenges facing the Organization in the next millennium are many and complex. It is imperative that the Organization be restructured to enable it respond adequately to new priorities and challenges. In this respect, we wish to commend the Secretary-General for unveiling reform measures and proposals that will form the basis of our discussion. We urge the Secretary- General to speedily implement measures within his mandate to reduce waste and ensure effective utilization of existing facilities and better coordination and cooperation within the United Nations. Kenya is committed to the reform of the United Nations and will continue to participate actively in the 17 debate. We expect that the reforms will be carried out with transparency, and in full compliance with the democratic principles and purposes of the Charter. In our view, the Organization requires not radical transformation but rather the strengthening and modification of its structures and organs to enhance its effectiveness. In reforming the United Nations, it is of paramount importance for Member States to recognize that unpaid contributions constitute a major obstacle to the effectiveness of the Organization. We are concerned that the United Nations is facing a financial crisis which is due basically to Member States not honouring their Charter obligations. For the United Nations to fulfil its mandate effectively, there is need for stable, predictable and adequate financing. We therefore urge Member States to take concrete action to clear their arrears without conditionalities. Furthermore, adjustment of the scale of assessments ought to be the result of a collective decision to redistribute the financial burden while bearing in mind the principle of capacity to pay. Kenya considers that the Security Council should be reformed to make it possible to achieve transparency, accountability, democratization and balanced regional representation. We reaffirm the position of the Organization of African Unity calling for the enlargement of the Council in both categories of membership to a total of 26 seats. We reiterate that Africa should be allocated at least two permanent and five non-permanent seats in the reformed Council. We also support reforms in the economic and social fields which should enhance complementarity and better coordination of the activities of the Council. The Economic and Social Council should assume effective coordination of international policies and the activities of the specialized agencies. Further, it should ensure mobilization of resources for the operational activities which are critical for the achievement of socio-economic development. We are convinced that strengthening and revitalizing the functions of the Economic and Social Council will accelerate development, particularly in the areas of poverty alleviation, environment degradation, health and humanitarian assistance, among other areas. I should like to conclude my statement by reaffirming Kenya’s readiness to support measures that will strengthen the United Nations and turn it into a more focused and integrated Organization able to steer humanity into the next millennium. Let us all strive to make the Organization more effective in serving mankind in the years to come. We are determined to make our contribution.