Kenya

Let me begin by congratulating the President on behalf of my delegation on his unanimous election to lead the fifty-fifth regular session of the General Assembly. I am confident that his able leadership and vast diplomatic experience will steer the business of this session of the General Assembly to the desired outcome. I also wish to express my delegation’s gratitude to his predecessor, Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab of Namibia, for the able manner in which he presided over the work of our 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. 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 and loss of lives, generated millions of refugees and displaced persons and exacerbated famine conditions in areas such as the southern Sudan and the Horn of Africa. Africa recognizes the primary role of the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security. It also recognizes the need for cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations in peacekeeping and peace-building. Such efforts have yielded positive results in some countries. However, there are others, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the United Nations has been slow to act. Positive regional initiatives have been recorded in the cessation of armed hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea, under the auspices of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). We commend the parties for the maturity they have demonstrated. We urge both parties to the conflict to uphold the ceasefire while working towards a final negotiated settlement of that dispute. The United Nations is urged to speedily discharge its duty along that 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 Omar Guelleh of Djibouti for his mediation efforts and his steadfast commitment to the cause of peace in Somalia. I call upon the international community to continue providing support and humanitarian assistance to the Somali nation. 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 peacekeeping operations, particularly with regard to the safety, commissioning and deployment of troops. Kenya supports the recent initiative aimed at curbing the trade in illicit diamonds, which fuels and sustains conflicts in Africa. Kenya welcomes the decision by the Security Council authorizing the establishment of an international criminal court to try those responsible for atrocities committed in the civil war in Sierra Leone. It should signal to the rebels there and elsewhere that the international community will not tolerate acts against humanity. 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 Assembly has in various resolutions urged the Conference on Disarmament to undertake such negotiations. During its fifty-fourth session, for instance, the General Assembly passed four resolutions which, inter alia, called on the Conference to get down to serious work. The lack of progress at the 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 of the Parties to the Treaty. Failure of the Conference on Disarmament will send the wrong signal to non-nuclear-weapon States and might well encourage those with nuclear ambitions to join that club. After the end of the cold war, there is no longer any justification for maintaining nuclear arsenals, if there ever was one. Kenya calls on the nuclear countries to preserve outer space as a nuclear-free zone. 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 the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons. The Conference, attended by 10 States of the region, adopted the Nairobi Declaration, which calls for greater cooperation and information- sharing between law enforcement and border control officials of States in our region, as well as the strengthening and/or adoption of national laws and control mechanisms governing civilian possession of arms, and urges source countries to regulate weapons and arms transactions through strict licensing. The Nairobi Conference was an important initiative. Kenya is in the process of organizing a follow-up meeting later this year. In the same vein, I should like to express our full support for the International Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, scheduled for 2001. We hope that that Conference will adequately address our concerns. A consequence of conflicts and the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons has been the massive movement of refugees across borders. Kenya continues to host a large number of such refugees. This has put a heavy strain on our own scarce national resources. I am happy to note that the Government of Kenya is in the process of finalizing the Refugee Bill 2000 in order to address the refugee phenomenon. The Bill is a result of joint efforts between the Government of Kenya, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other stakeholders. It will provide refugees with a better legal framework in which to live and 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 the responses to the refugee problems in other parts of the world compared with those in Africa. We hope that in future the international community will respond in a fair and consistent manner to refugee crises in all parts of the world. 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. That commission would 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 proactive 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 wider acceptance and observance of human rights. The rise in transnational networks of crime, narcotics, money laundering and terrorism is another matter of grave concern to us. The effects of the August 1998 terrorist bombing in Nairobi are still evident in our economy and in the lives of Kenyans. We have undertaken measures to contain this menace by establishing special policing units and strict control of movement on border areas and other national 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. 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 the Economic and Social Council should be expedited by organizing its work throughout the year and reinforcing its role 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 rich and poor. My delegation urges the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions to ensure the facilitation of stronger and more equitable international multilateral development cooperation designed to address the growing problems in economic development. We are all aware of the challenging task of eradicating poverty consistent with the overall objectives and strategies agreed in the Copenhagen Declaration and the Programme of Action adopted at the World Summit for Social Development and with the outcome of the Millennium Summit. Kenya supports and continues to implement the Copenhagen Declaration and the Programme of Action. This commitment is manifested in our 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 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, which has been prepared in consultation with all stakeholders. The strategy paper outlines measures designed to improve economic performance, while identifying key actions to reduce the prevalence of poverty. The above measures are part of the Kenya Government’s strategy to restore economic growth while maintaining economic stability. Economic reforms are gaining momentum and are expected to lead to a progressive increase in real per capita growth. Currently, the country is facing a severe drought, the worst in our country’s history. This is having a debilitating effect on our economy. We appreciate the assistance received so far from the international community and seek continued support to deal with the situation. Globalization poses enormous challenges to developing countries, and ours 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 about the growing protectionism manifested in attempts to support a new round of multilateral trade negotiations within the context of the 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 the implementation of special and differential provisions in respect of developing and least developed countries because of their low levels of industrialization and the vulnerable nature of their economies. The increased globalization of financial markets and capital flows poses new challenges for the mobilization of adequate resources. Kenya shares the concerns of developing countries over the general decline in official development assistance and the free flow of foreign direct investment 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 more stable financial system. The global market environment poses enormous challenges, and there is an urgent need for supportive international policies that will ensure the financial system’s efficient functioning. 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 the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which in themselves have a causal relationship with poverty and deprivation. My country, in collaboration with international agencies, is zealously pursuing scientific research to find a cure for malaria and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. We call upon the international community to support our research efforts to find a cure for these diseases, which continue to ravage millions. Kenya wishes to stress the need to ensure the easy availability of existing drugs to those already afflicted. Given that information technologies are important prerequisites for development, the developed countries should direct resources to accelerate the 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. My delegation notes the commitment made by the G-8 to speed up the pace of implementation of the enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative, in line with the targets agreed at the Cologne Summit. However, the initiative suffers from a lack of commitment to implementation and should be reviewed with a view to being speeded up. 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. Kenya attaches special importance to South- South cooperation. It is in recognition of the important role of economic cooperation among developing countries that we continue actively to pursue economic integration with countries in our own subregion. The relationship between regional and subregional economic groupings is seen within the framework of the African Economic Community, which Kenya fully supports. The institutions established in 1945 are overdue for an overhaul. The world political, economic and security landscape has changed, and so must these 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 reassert 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 allotted for Africa, to be filled by African countries on a rotational basis and on the same footing as existing permanent seats. The 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. Kenya appreciates the increased utilization of the United Nations Office at Nairobi. We are nevertheless dissatisfied with the level of involvement with environment and human settlement issues. There is a huge, under-utilized capacity in the Nairobi offices. It should be noted also that the Nairobi Declaration adopted by Member States in February 1997 declared the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to be the principal body in the field of environment. Kenya is therefore totally opposed to the creation of new institutions with similar concerns and calls upon the international community to strengthen the role of UNEP and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) in Nairobi. In conclusion, Kenya fully embraces the spirit of the Millennium Declaration, with a pledge to make its modest contribution in the general service of a happier family of nations.