Kenya, 2000

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.