YouSaid · the spoken record

Uhuru Kenyatta

lines on the record: 114
first: 2014-09-24
most recent: 2021-09-24
sittings or episodes: 6
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“President, I Thank You. God Bless You All!”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“I am proud to have furthered that ambition by building bridges of unity and inclusion for all. I want every Kenyan to know and to be proud of how our nation, Kenya, is highly regarded in the “Community of Nations”. Kenyans must never forget the hand-of- friendship that extended to us on various times, by many states seated in this General Assembly; nor what our contribution has been to the international community. Finally, Kenya must never forget those countries that still struggle against occupation and illegal sanctions that cause suffering and undermine the human rights of people in our world. As I conclude, we offer our solidarity and commitment as a Member State of the United Nations to undertake the journey back to recovery and to prosperity, “building forward better” in a multilateral system that is fair and effective. Mr.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“The most important task we can undertake is to increase the competence of states to manage both political and social diversity within their nation states. Indeed, countries must do so in a way that strengthens the trust between citizens and public institutions and citizens and their leaders. I believe that the tough experiences that Kenya has had, and our determination to rise above them, are a good case study for other states. Mr. President, I am proud to lead a country that has worked hard to deepen its democracy and to entrench the rule of law, embracing all in the society irrespective of race, colour, gender or religious affiliation. Throughout my tenure as the President, I have led a nation that is marching forward to attain the “Greatness We Believe, Is In Us”.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“These include; one, how we can make an appreciation for diversity, a core aim in promoting state building and the pursuit of peace. Second, how illicit small arms and light weapons impact peacekeeping operations; and third is how to better support and promote women peacekeepers and peace builders. Excellencies, In many countries, we are witnessing state fragility that leads to protracted crises. This fragility is, driven mainly by inability of countries to manage diversity within nations, thus offering militant and terrorist groups opportunities to create social discontent and control large territories within affected countries. The tools to deal with these crises are not proving adequate; so we must work to improve their capabilities.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“What ties these events, and others that I have participated in during the last year, is the collective conviction that the global system is not working well for all our people and all our regions. The unequal trade and investment patterns, the outflows of illicit finance and inflows of illicit small arms and light weapons, the extraction versus production mentality, are all escalating global inequality, fragility, conflict and violence. Many of the tools at our disposal to deal with these challenges are not living up to their promise. One such core tool is the United Nations Security Council in which Kenya has been an elected an active member since the beginning of the year. In October 2021, Kenya will assume the presidency of the Security Council. During that period, I will chair several signature-events.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, As the President-in-Office of African, Caribbean and Pacific States Organisation, I convened and chaired an extraordinary inter-Sessional Virtual Summit, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in June last year. We made the Nairobi “Nguvu ya Pamoja” Declaration calling for the need to transcend the COVID-19 pandemic through global solidarity. I also recently hosted the inaugural Africa-CARICOM Summit, during which we re-established the critical need for peoples of African descent to strengthen our economic and political linkages. It was a historic and proud moment for me personally to be part of the great legacy of Pan Africanism in our world!”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Our investments in roads, air and port infrastructure, and critical health care facilities throughout the country, are the most extensive and ambitious in our history. We have also delivered a national competency based curriculum and on universal access to schooling, which will further boost competitiveness of our workforce. My Administration is simultaneously focusing on the immediate needs of our people. We have targeted 3.3 million households that are most at risk and in the process achieved a 50 per cent reduction in the number of food insecure Kenyans. By next year, we will have achieved a 27 per cent reduction in malnutrition among children under 5 years of age, created 1,000 agro-processing SMEs and 600,000 new jobs. We will also have recorded a 48 per cent increase in agriculture sector contribution to GDP.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Kenya has also identified a range of ocean based adaptation priorities to integrate Ocean-based climate solutions with the global response to climate change. We look forward to co-hosting the second United Nations Ocean Conference with Portugal in late June 2022, to galvanise commitments and partnerships that will promote ambitious global ocean action, and scale up investments in the Blue Economy. This follows Kenya’s successful co-hosting of the first global “Sustainable Blue Economy Conference” in 2018, with Japan, Canada and other partners. Mr. President, Kenya is, blessed with a youthful, well-educated, and productive population that has managed to build one of the most vibrant mixed economies in Africa. We are implementing ambitious programmes to prepare the country to produce decent and rewarding jobs.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“As COP-26 approaches, we should aim to make clear commitments that contribute to developing country investments in green manufacturing and the infrastructure it requires. A “Green Building Back Better” that delivers jobs and shared prosperity, will win the support of the young generation and intensify the drive towards climate change action. Mr. President, Kenya is ready to become a leading green industry country. We have mounted a strong climate change response. We have submitted an updated National Determined Contribution (NDC) plan that aims to lower greenhouse gas emissions by 32 per cent by 2030. Kenya also has a “Green Economy Strategy and Implementation Plan (2016- 2030)”, which will enable us to achieve higher economic growth and support a low- carbon development path.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“That, sadly, is currently not the case. The asymmetry in the supply of vaccines reflects a multilateral system that is in urgent need for repair. At the heart of the global effort to “Building Back Better”, we must make concerted, structural changes that should enable a quantum increase in investment and technology transfers. Not as charity, but instead driven by enlightened self- interest and solidarity. A fast-developing Africa will offer the entire world the benefit of its demographic dividend of youth and vast investment opportunities. Africa can become an engine of sustainable global growth and an exporter of peace and stability and transformative prosperity. Excellencies, many leaders have noted, on previous occasions, the need to deliver concurrently economic recovery linked to climate change action.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“We mourn these Kenyans and the 4.7 million lives that have been lost around the world. The pandemic’s devastating impact on global travel, tourism, supply chains and investment has caused the deepest economic recession in nearly a century. Kenya responded swiftly and boldly to contain the pandemic; and, as a result, the human toll, though most distressing, pales in comparison to other parts of the world. While we also undertook measures to cushion different sectors of our economy, the economic pain has been, pronounced. Now is the time to rebuild. To rebuild successfully requires a worldwide response in confidence and investment to enable production and consumption to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels. The surest way to building that confidence is by making vaccines available to the world, in an equitable and accessible manner.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“In doing this I urge the following immediate multilateral actions: (i) First, we must put equitable global vaccine access at the core of “Building Back Better” from the COVID-19 pandemic; (ii) Second, we need to provide tangible climate financial support to developing countries and ensure that a significant portion of “green manufacturing” is located in developing countries; (iii) Third, we must align our conflict resolution tools to the strategic shift in threats to regional and international peace and security; (iv) Fourth, we must strengthen the competence of states to manage diversity and regional trust between citizens and institutions, and between citizens and their leaders. Ladies and Gentlemen, As of a week ago, close to five thousand Kenyans had succumbed to COVID-19.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“H.E. Abdulla Shahid, President of the General Assembly at its seventy-sixth session, H.E. Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to join you today in this seventy-sixth session of the General Assembly. I congratulate you Mr. President on your election to preside over the seventy-sixth Session, and assure you of Kenya’s full support during your tenure. The theme for this Year’s Session — “Building resilience through hope — to recover from COVID-19” — has inspired my address today. The Secretary-General, in his report on Our Common Agenda, observed: “Humanity faces a stark and urgent choice: a breakdown or a breakthrough.” The world needs to take seriously this warning from the Secretary-General.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Kenya calls for renewed and genuine international efforts to find a just and lasting solution to the conflict, based on the existence of two States, the State of Israel and the State of Palestine, within the framework of the relevant United Nations pronouncements. I want to thank all of you for your attention. Thank you and God bless you all.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“President, The Secretary-General’s recent appeal for a global ceasefire also includes a humanitarian call for the roll-back of international sanctions and to reinforce the efforts of vulnerable, fragile and conflict-affected countries, to deal with the impact of COVID-19. I state today that Kenya stands behind this initiative. In this connection, I wish to make a special appeal for an end to the economic and commercial as well as financial embargo against Cuba, sanctions against Zimbabwe and Sudan. The United Nations provides us a platform, a platform to resolve age old differences and unburden ourselves of these antiquated conflicts. It is also Kenya’s desire to see, at this critical and historical juncture, an inspiration for peace between Palestine and Israel.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Even though the world has made great progress since the creation of this great body, the United Nations 75 years ago, our present challenges may appear dispiriting and the journey ahead seem daunting and arduous. But existence is like a marathon of global proportions. I come from a country of marathoners; and I, therefore, appreciate the demands of endurance, teamwork and persistence in conquering the road ahead. Together, I believe we can win this race, mankind can triumph and secure peace and prosperity in a greater biodiversity for present and future generations. Finally Mr.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“As a country that has long contributed to global peace keeping operations, it has been our experience that cooperation among various stakeholders, a clarity of mandate, appropriate training and equipping of troops, an integration of conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peace building measures, the participation especailly of women, as well as the periodic reviews of the effectiveness of missions, greatly strengthens peace keeping operations. Kenya will continue to advocate for inclusive, meaningful triangular consultations between the Security Council, the UN Secretariat and troops and police contributing countries.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“We have consistently advocated for the need to build partnerships for a strategic and operational approach to prevent and to combat violent extremism not just here in Kenya or our region but globally. And even as we struggle with all the other challenges of development and cooperation, we cannot afford to take our eyes off the ever present danger of the existential threat of terrorism. Kenya was honoured to have hosted the first ever African Regional High-Level Conference on Counterterrorism and Prevention of Violent Extremism in July last year. Kenya also welcomes the envisaged establishment of a UN Counter-Terrorism Programme Office here in Nairobi.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Let me pause at this moment to sincerely thank each and everyone of you for electing Kenya to the Security Council for the 2021-2022 term. The vote was an overwhelming affirmation of the trust and confidence that many Members have in Kenya. I wish to assure you that Kenya will deliver on our commitments to the Council, under the mandate of the African Union. We will work closely with all member states to ensure that the Council discharges its mandate in an inclusive, responsive and consultative manner because peace is a collective effort. Mr. President, Kenya has been a frontline state in global efforts to confront terrorism and violent extremism.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Ladies and Gentlemen, As host to the United Nations Environmental Program, and the UN-Habitat, of which we are proud, Kenya calls for the expansion of the two Programmes’ their viability to harmonize, and to domicile all environmental and human settlements issues, in their rightful place which is at their Headquarters. Kenya remains committed to continue offering the global community a conducive environment to declare the mandate of these two important UN organizations, UNEP and UN-Habitat. Let me also remind all of us, Mr. President, that Kenya and Portugal will co-host the Second UN Ocean Conference in the second quarter of 2021. We welcome you all to participate at the highest level in Lisbon, as we strive to harness science and innovation, to scale up our conservation and the sustainable use of our oceans and blue economy.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Similarly, the interdependent crisis of the biodiversity loss, an ecosystem degradation requires urgent and collective action. Our global home that was teeming with millions of species of God-given creatures, both great and small, is slowly dying. Kenya once again calls for urgent collective action to halt the decimation of our biodiversity. We must find a global balance between human beings and other creatures on our earth. We must put harmony between people and nature. Our world is yearning for us to stop its ruin! In this regard, we in Kenya look forward to the upcoming Biodiversity Summit that shall be held later.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“The challenges that confront us today only serve to underscore the need to reaffirm our commitment to the implementation of the SDGs particularly with regard to fighting poverty and inequality; but also our shared responsibility to effectively contribute to this common vision. Mr. President, Turning to Climate Change, I believe Kenya’s stance on Climate Change and the Environment is known to all. Climate Change can unpackage our efforts to attain the SDGs. Kenya acknowledges the disproportionate impacts of climate variability in Small Island Developing States as well as states with fragile ecological environments. In this regard, Kenya was honoured to co host the United Nations Secretary General’s Climate Action Summit in September of last year, which resulted in landmark commitments as well as initiatives.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“What is equally important is that even after addressing the acute phase of the pandemic, we must all remain collectively committed to global recovery. Developing countries seeking to have the existing debt moratorium refined and extended to December 2021, and an early replenishment of the IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) and the World Bank International Development Association (IDA) as well as an early decision on the Special Drawing Rights. Excellencies, I am confident that we have the answers to the challenges we face. The SDGs are a model for multilateral action, which capture the common aspirations of mankind; to end poverty, protect our planet’s biosphere and to ensure prosperity for all.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“At no time in our recent history have global developments been as concerning as they are today. Global geopolitics and competition between global powers have complicated and severely undermined the global response to the COVID19 pandemic. Indeed, they have caused severe anxiety and undermined coordinated responses to an economic and social character that would have left us in a stronger position as a global collective. Excellencies, As President in Office of the Organisation of African, Pacific and Caribbean States, an organization comprising 97 countries, some of whom are most vulnerale and poorest, I have become acutely aware of global geopolitics and competition that is not focused on helping us better build, a stronger, safer, healthier and more prosperous world.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“We adopted a continental COVID-19 mitigation strategy, which has had great success in coordinating continental efforts to prevent severe illness and death from COVID-19; as well as minimizing social and economic disruptions. Excellencies, What we have learnt in the past six months is that no Country and I repeat again no country can manage a crisis of this magnitude, on its own. We have had to work collectively in order to build back better. We, therefore, call upon the global community to enhance cooperation and assistance to developing countries in vulnerable situations so as to bolster their economies and health care systems; and to achieve Universal Health Coverage as envisioned in the 2019 UHC political declaration. Mr. President, This Assembly is the pinnacle platform for debate on matters of global political concern.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“We have introduced financial and tax interventions to keep the economy and businesses viable and solvent. And like everyone else, introduced social health measures including cessation of travel, social distancing, the wearing of masks and improved hygiene for all. And this has been achieved to the best of our abilities within an environment of constitutional civil liberties and rights to prosperity and development of all our citizenry. At the continental level, Mr. President, working with the African Union, I have been involved personally in guiding collective continental actions, together with other Heads of State and Government, who are members of the African Union Bureau.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“But more importantly, to effectively take urgent, coordinated and collective measures to build resilience that would insulate our societies and our economies against the adverse effects of such pandemic and crisis. In Kenya, we have had to undertake special and targeted efforts. A national multi agency team on COVID19 is in place to ensure such appropriate interventions. We have revamped and expanded our national and county health care systems. The interventions that we have taken have targeted the old and the vulnerable, the unemployed and our youth and specific programmes to keep them healthy and productively engaged. We have also recognized that this pandemic has in itself produced the challenges of gender inequality and more so gender violence.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“It speaks not only to the urgent need to review our actions at both the national and global levels, but also responds to the pressing demand for effective multilateral action, within a rule-based international system. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic should give fresh impetus to our collective efforts to strengthen international cooperation. This global pandemic has deepened unfortunately existing inequalities, hitting the poorest and most vulnerable communities the hardest. It has created an unprecedented synergy of challenges and demonstrated the limits of our institutions. There is, therefore, an urgent need to improve readiness in the area of global crises management.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“I believe these are all shared global values and Kenya acknowledges that we have had our challenges in meeting this but that doesn’t change the vision that we have for the future. All these issues have worked for us in our domestic context and I believe that they will serve the United Nations well and we are confident that our community of nations, can do far much more collectively than any one country could ever do alone. Excellencies, The theme for our 75th Assembly namely, “The Future that We Want; the United Nations that We Need: Reaffirming our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism”, is most appropriate and indeed timely.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Kenya believes strongly that if we remain anchored in multilateralism and with unity of purpose, if we are much more agile in embracing change and positive transformations, if we remain rooted in a rule-based international system and act innovatively and selflessly, we can transcend our challenges and secure lasting peace and prosperity for all. This firm persuasion is born of our own experience and evolution of as a nation. Much like the United Nations, our country was founded on the ideals of liberty, unity, rule of law, democracy and participation of the people, grounded on human dignity, equity, social justice, inclusiveness, equality, human rights and good governance.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Today, mankind is confronted by complex, multifaceted and gravely serious challenges. Across the world, we are witnessing constant disruptions that are generating great anxiety, uncertainty and unpredictability. The COVID19 pandemic best defines the challenges of our time; a challenge that affects us all, a challenge that we can only overcome if each of us succeeds. The COVID19 pandemic and other contemporary challenges including the climate and biodiversity crisis that we face, our growing geostrategic tensions, social as well as economic inequalities, the crisis of legitimacy and governance as well as the vulnerabilities of our digital world, have, indeed, redefined the imperative for multilateral action.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Yes, the United Nations in its birth “brought rules and hope for a world in ruins” that was seven and a half decades ago, but what does it bring to the world today? Seventy five years ago, delegates from fifty nations who had endured immense disruption and suffering, seized the opportunity to chart a bold new course for mankind. They were determined to save future generations from the scourge of war and in so doing they gifted us a timeless Charter that has remained our shared framework of international cooperation. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, On this occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, “We the People of the United Nations” must rekindle the Idealism, Will and Spirit of the San Francisco conference that founded our great organization.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“He ensured that, not notwithstanding the difficulties of the pandemic, the work of the United Nations continued. Mr. President, The 75th Anniversary is a moment to reflect on the journey that we have taken. It is a moment to introspect, to establish if the anchor still holds or if our community of nations has become unanchored by the challenges of our time. This is an occasion to reflect on our world and its institutions; have our relations and institutions been refined by experience and the passage of time or have our institutions become battered and left not fit for purpose. At 75, the United Nations is older than most of its Member States and more importantly older than over 96 per cent of our global population. A clear majority of the global population today cannot relate to the circumstances of its founding.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“President of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly, H.E. Volkan Bozkir, Secretary-General of the United Nations, H.E. Antonio Guterres, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am, indeed, delighted to participate in this 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, despite the unusual circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Let me, take this opportunity Mr. President, to thank you and to congratulate you on your election and I wish you a productive and successful 75th session and assure you of Kenya’s full as well as constructive support. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate your predecessor, H.E. Professor Tijjani Muhammad-Bande for ably steering the 74th Session of the General Assembly during this very very difficult season.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“I request the vote of each and every State Member of the United Nations family. In conclusion, I invite everyone here to Kenya in November, when, together with the Kingdom of Denmark and the United Nations Population Fund, we will convene the Nairobi Summit on the International Conference on Population and Development. It is our opportunity to reaffirm the recognition of people’s rights, choices and well-being as the path to sustainable and integrated development. Our deliberations in Nairobi will undoubtedly further secure our future and shared destiny.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“When the world had turned away from Somalia, we engaged and invested in the Eldoret and Mbagathi peace processes, which led to the formation and hosting of the Transitional National Government in Kenya and, ultimately, the formation of the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia. Over the years we have contributed more than 40,000 peacekeepers and engaged in post-conflict reconstruction and development efforts across the world. We therefore hope that our experience, competencies and unrelenting quest for peace and prosperity in our neighbourhood, on our continent and in the wider world will persuade the entire United Nations membership to support the African Union’s candidate for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council during the elections scheduled for June 2020.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the African Union for its endorsement of Kenya’s candidature for the Security Council for the period from 2021 to 2022. Our pursuit of solutions to global challenges has convinced us that we are well placed to contribute constructively to the Council. When the world had given up on our region, we in Kenya opened our doors to millions of people fleeing insecurity. To this day we host hundreds of thousands of refugees. Our investment in negotiations in the Sudan led to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, and we continue to support stabilization efforts in both the Sudan and South Sudan.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Kenya is honoured to host the United Nations Office in Nairobi, the only one of its kind in the global South, and looks forward to facilitating the establishment and hosting of the regional United Nations global service delivery model centre. We also welcome the positive response of the General Assembly to the concerns raised by Member States calling for better coordination on urbanization, human settlement and environmental-governance matters. In that regard, in March Kenya was proud to host a successful fourth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly and, together with France, the third session of the One Planet Summit, as well as the first session of the UN-Habitat Assembly in May. Kenya fully supports the strengthening of governance and Member States’ oversight of the UN-Habitat Assembly.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“In May, we launched Kenya’s digital-economy blueprint for developing a digitally empowered citizenry living in a digitally enabled society. We hope to champion the growth of an African-wide digital economy. Finally, the agenda outlined requires more, not fewer, partnerships and more, not less, collaboration and international cooperation. We must therefore re-energize and reform the multilateral system in order to guarantee our common future. We must reaffirm the values of the Charter of the United Nations, which embraces a common humanity, safeguards a rule-based international order and underscores equality and respect for all humankind. I applaud the Secretary-General for his continued reform efforts.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We have provided financial facilitation through a revolutionary micro-, small- and medium-enterprise credit-financing scheme, Stawi — which means “prosper” in Kiswahili — that enables small business enterprises to overcome constraints, including a lack of collateral and perceived good credit risk. The fifth area is the use of technology to drive development. The digital revolution offers opportunities to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs in multiple ways, including e-commerce, online jobs, improved service delivery, increased transparency, improved targeting for social safety-net programmes and greater financial inclusion. In Kenya, taking advantage of mobile-phone financial services, we have more than tripled financial inclusion from 26 per cent in 2006 to 82 per cent this year.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“The fourth area in which we must secure a better future is financing for development. We estimate that we need between $2.5 trillion and $3 trillion annually to finance the SDGs and climate action and to target the critical needs of our global population. We have to introduce innovative financing models that reorient private capital and create new instruments and modalities that strengthen the regulatory framework in order to de-risk investments. In 2017, recognizing the untapped potential for raising capital by issuing bonds to ordinary citizens, the Government of Kenya, in conjunction with private-sector players, launched a mobile-based Government bond, M-Akiba. With as little as $30, Kenyans can now participate in the Government securities market.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We welcome the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s special report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, which points to the urgent action needed to avert catastrophic global climate change. For its part, Kenya has embarked on programmes for sustainable, proactive climate action. We have banned the use of single-use plastics and intensified our national tree-planting campaigns in order to restore our water catchment areas. We aim to increase our forest cover from the current 7 per cent to 15 per cent by 2022. We are also focused on the development of clean energy. Today Kenya is among the top 10 global producers of geothermal electricity. We recently launched a 300-megawatt wind project, the single largest wind power project in Africa, and have several renewable energy generation projects in the pipeline.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Kenya and Turkey were the co-leaders of the infrastructure, cities and local action aspect of the Summit, whose aim is to build better climate resilience initiatives for the urban poor. We urge countries to put their vulnerable and poor urban communities at the centre of their climate action plans. Together with 13 other Heads of State and Government and the Special Envoy for the Ocean, Kenya is a member of the High-level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, which seeks to develop and support solutions for ocean health and wealth in policy, governance, technology and finance. In the Horn of Africa we are witnessing a confluence of climate change and conflict. Cyclical droughts pressure food supply, cause competition over land, water and other resources and become drivers of conflict.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We remain hopeful that the Federal Government of Somalia will be amenable and committed to the quest for a mutually acceptable and sustainable solution. Thirdly, we must act together to protect our shared destiny. Pressure from population growth, diminishing resources and climate change puts stress on natural resources such as water, food, arable land and energy. We leaders must turn to sustainable resource-management models to help restore the balance in our ecosystem. I congratulate the Secretary-General on convening the Climate Action Summit. We must implement and scale up affordable solutions that will help us leapfrog to sustainable and more resilient economies that can reduce greenhouse emissions and push global warming below 1.5°C.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“In the same spirit, my administration continues to reach out to the Federal Republic of Somalia in an effort to find an amicable and sustainable solution to our maritime boundary dispute. In that regard, I welcome the decision on 3 September of the African Union Peace and Security Council urging both parties to engage. As we all know, the Charter of the United Nations privileges the use of negotiation as the preferred mechanism for the settlement of disputes. Similarly, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea provides for the amicable delimitation of maritime boundaries between States. It is in that normative framework that Kenya calls for the dispute to be resolved through negotiation.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Security has improved, with a decrease in violence across the country, since the signing of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan. I am convinced that pending issues can be resolved in a consultative and collaborative manner. I commend Mr. Riek Machar for travelling to Juba for a face-to-face meeting with his brother and colleague President Salva Kiir in order to engage on the outstanding issues. Kenya supports the creation of an all-inclusive transitional mechanism and institutions for undertaking the required political processes and reforms. That will ensure a smooth transition to the next phase of the peace process.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“A commitment to pursuing peace and security remains at the core of our foreign policy, and I am pleased to say that our combined efforts to advance peace and security in the region continue to bear fruit. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Sudan on arriving at a path to sustainable peace, which it negotiated internally with the help of the African Union. Kenya shares the optimism of the people of the Sudan, and we believe that the transitional process will pave the way for democratic elections in 2022. And I warmly commend the role of women in the Sudan in driving and facilitating an excellent outcome laden with lessons that makes the entire African continent proud. I am also encouraged by the progress made in South Sudan.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We provide access to a health benefits package that prioritizes primary health-care interventions, reduces the cost of medicine and increases the number of people with insurance coverage. Secondly, development cannot occur without sustainable peace. Many complicated factors have led to multilayered threats to peace in the Horn of Africa in the past three or so decades. They are exacerbated by the disruptive effects of climate change, which introduce ecological vulnerabilities into a very delicate security context. The ability of terrorist organizations to execute their plans with impunity has added another dimension to the security terrain in our region.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“In Kenya we have invested heavily in education and health in an effort to achieve social inclusion, develop knowledge and competencies and secure the future by not leaving anyone behind. We have now achieved a 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary school and free secondary school education for all day scholars. To enhance equal opportunity, we have also provided re-entry for girls who drop out of school after falling pregnant. We provide free sanitary towels to all girls attending school, and Kenya’s children now enjoy an average of 10.7 years of schooling, the highest in our region. To drive its economy, Kenya is tackling the burden of disease and is on a path to achieving universal health coverage by 2022.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“That prosperous future we envisage calls us all to take bold actions that give meaning to the theme of this year’s session of the General Assembly. In that regard, allow me to reflect on a number of actions that can contribute to our desired future. First, we must put people at the core of development. We must support our populations, in particular young people, in being productively engaged, shaping the future rather than falling victim to it. In that regard, we must accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Critical to that is the generation of big, disaggregated data, which can help us to plan targeted interventions and monitor their implementation.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)