Mr. Chairman,
I thank you for giving me the floor.
Allow me to congratulate you on behalf of my delegation, for being elected to lead this important session of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations.
Be assured of our support and cooperation.
My delegation welcomes the briefings by the Undersecretary General for Field support and the Assistant Secretary General for rule of law.
We value their constructive contributions to the overall policy.
Mr. Chairman,
Kenya attaches great importance to international peace and security. Our long standing contribution to the United Nations peacekeeping operations is a testimony to our commitment to make this world a safer place.
We value our partnership with the United Nations which has deepened and expanded over the years.
Mr. Chairman,
Kenya aligns herself with the very comprehensive statement by the Non- aligned movement, which has covered in detail most of our concerns including the policy on peacekeeping, respect for the principle of sovereign equality, political independence and territorial integrity among others.
In addition, Mr. Chairman, Kenya wishes to highlight on the following points:
The changing nature of threats facing peace support operations calls for a greater understanding of the operational environment and better cooperation with regional security mechanisms. The strategic partnership with regional security mechanisms presents an excellent window in addressing most of the security needs of the world. Solutions that ignore the concerns of regional bodies risks becoming counterproductive.
Kenya welcomes and fully supports the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2327 (2016), on South Sudan. We further support the High Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) to bolster the essentially defunct 2015 Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS). However, some concerns merit to be addressed.
UNMISS continues to suffer from fundamental structural and systemic dysfunctionality which severely hinders its ability to discharge its mandate. This is a challenge that is likely to permeate the deployment of the Regional Protection Force (RPF).
The obtaining situations on the ground dictates that the overall mandate of UNMISS needs a review with a view to improve on the utility of regional forces. This would also facilitate greater cooperation between UNMISS, RPF and the Transitional Government of National Unity of the Republic of South Sudan (TGoNU).
We call on the review of the UNMISS mandate in order to create the necessary conditions for inclusive participation in the peace process, including in governance and the political dialogue. Equally, the legitimacy of any peacekeeping mission is derived from political consent of host government and the local population. In this regard, we wish to emphasize that direct engagement, coordination and meaningful partnerships with AU, IGAD and the host Government is imperative, in order to create a politically conducive environment.
Mr. Chairman,
The security situation in Somalia continues to be a matter of grave concern to Kenya and the region. The terrorist threat posed by Al Shaabab remains the greatest threat to peace, security and stability in Somalia and the region. We welcome the extension of the AMISOM mandate as contained in the UNSC 2372 (2017). However, the additional tasks for AMISOM while reducing the troop levels risk a resurgence of the ugly face of Al Shaabab.
Contrary to the popular belief, Al Shaabab still retains capability to launch large scale terrorist attacks with a major disruptive consequence to the situation in Somalia. The massive VBIED attack in central Mogadishu on Saturday 14th, in which over 350 people were killed and approximately 500 injured is a striking example.
To this end, Kenya continues to contribute both troops and resources in AMISOM to enhance its capability to fight the AS.
We urge the UNSC to rethink the drawdown strategy that is in the process of being implemented. Additionally, we urge the international community to partner with the African Union and provide predictable and sustained financial support to the regional initiative to ensure the AMISOM mandate is effectively fulfilled.
Mr. Chairman,
We are pleased to report that Kenya continues to play host to the Engineering capability training under the triangular partnership project aimed at filling the gap identified by the General Assembly. We thank Japan and Switzerland for their technical and financial support.
Equally, we are happy to report that Kenya has achieved and surpassed the Secretary General’s proposal of deploying 15% women in peace keeping operations.
With regard to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, we are happy to report that Kenya has not had a case of SEA. Kenya is fully committed to the total eradication of vice, and will be signing the voluntary compact soon.
Lastly, we commend the blue helmets for their commitment and dedication to their work. We also pay tribute to those who have paid the ultimate price in the interest of peace.
Finally, Mr. Chairman,
We reaffirm our commitment to continue working with the United Nations and other member states to strengthen peacekeeping operations.
I thank you for your attention.