Kenya, 1997

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,

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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.

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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.

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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.