YouSaid · the spoken record

William Samoei Ruto

lines on the record: 59
first: 2022-09-24
most recent: 2023-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
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

“We also recognize that multilateralism is broken, and it is our responsibility to repair it. From this moment to 2030 and from our problems to their solutions, we are connected by a coherent agenda of robust collective action. We must therefore muster the courage and will to stand together in solidarity and act to right past wrongs, solve present problems and secure our collective future; to protect and empower all people and support our friends in need; to restore broken trust, raise hope high and keep faith strong; and. finally, to pursue, achieve and sustain positive change in order to make billions of cherished dreams come true. We must start right away, for we have no time to lose.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“in order to make available dedicated, affordable and accessible capital for green investments at scale. The road map to that new and urgently needed institutional infrastructure involves the sustained engagement of various multilateral processes, and the instrument to actualize it by 2025 shall be a new global climate finance charter to be negotiated through the General Assembly, the twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and associated processes. We understand the facts about our collective situation as a global community and as a member of the United Nations family. We know the magnitude of our shared challenges and common threats. We appreciate that multilateralism is on trial, and our task is to defend it.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“In any case, any objective rating must also take into account the principles of responsible sovereign lending and accounting, specifically emphasizing the need for international accounting systems that support the proper valuation of mineral wealth, natural capital and ecosystem services in the computation of national gross domestic products. Until that is done, very wealthy countries will be categorized as poor. The fourth limb of the interventions arising out of the Nairobi Declaration is the establishment of a global public climate financing mechanism, funded through a global carbon tax on trade in fossil fuels, as well as an emissions levy on aviation and maritime transport, including the option of a global financial transactions tax.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“We must all recall the miscalculation of subprime mortgage risk by those agencies two decades ago. which precipitated a financial crisis whose effects reverberate to this day. and ask the following question: On what basis should we believe that their methodologies are better at assessing risks in faraway frontier markets like ours, which are far more difficult to measure objectively, than in assessing the value of financial assets in the markets where they actually operate, and which they got so disastrously wrong? If they got it wrong then. I bet they have it wrong now.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“The second financing intervention relates to concessional financing. It is time to work with the international financial institutions to provide more concessional loans — in our estimate, to the tune of approximately $500 billion — and to provide increased liquidity support through special drawing rights, with a minimum target of $650 billion, which was the amount obtained during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Access should be based on specific needs, not entitlement, and that necessitates changes to the allocation mechanism, different from what we saw in the special drawing rights for COVID-19. The third critical reform is that of the financial market reorganization. The entire system of risk assessment, the opaque methodologies employed by credit rating agencies and risk analysis needs to be overhauled, at a minimum.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“According to International Monetary Fund data, as of last month 10 low-income countries were already in debt distress and 52 were at high and moderate risk of falling into distress. The 3.3 billion people in those counties are trapped in a vicious cycle of emergency responses, reconstruction and recovery from more frequent climate shocks, which diverts resources away from both development and climate action and sucks vulnerable countries into a downward spiral of debt and environmental stress. The global community must therefore develop a debt restructuring initiative that does not wait for nations to plunge over the cliff into debt distress before providing relief. Rather, the new sovereign debt architecture should extend the tenure of sovereign debt and provide a 10- year grace period for countries that are in debt distress.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Furthermore, the investments would also connect over 600 million people to clean electricity; provide clean cooking to about a billion people; finance green manufacturing, including e-mobility; transform African agriculture and food systems, including the manufacture of green fertiliser; process the vast tonnage of the steel, aluminium and lithium required by new green industries; and enable our young people find the livelihoods they desire, at home, and reverse the tide of migration in the opposite direction. To unlock financing at scale and create incentives for investments at scale in green opportunities, the Nairobi Declaration makes the reform of the international financial system a priority. No meaningful climate action or development can take place in conditions of financial distress.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“From our standpoint, there is no need to be trapped in a false choice; sustainable development is robust climate action and climate action is development. Africa’s potential is defined by abundant and diverse resources, ranging from a youthful, highly skilled and motivated young population; immense renewable energy potential and mineral resources, including critical minerals; and extensive natural capital endowment, including 60 per cent of the world’s unutilized arable land. Capital and technology can find no better returns anywhere than the tremendous investment opportunity in Africa’s potential. Such investment would drive green growth, creating jobs and wealth while decarbonizing global production and consumption.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“As a defining outcome of the Africa Climate Summit. we committed Africa to consider the dual problems through an opportunity lens and to deliver effective solutions by pursuing a fresh trajectory. Development is a basic necessity for every society; it must happen one way or another. There should be no doubt about that. Annually. 30 million young people on our continent need jobs and many more need food. Half of our continent is in the dark, without access to electricity in 2023. while hundreds of millions can only cook using biomass, because they have no electricity. That is why the commitment of African nations in the Nairobi Declaration is both radical and transformative. Development, in our opinion, is a fundamental imperative and green growth is the only sustainable way to achieve it.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“The tragic spectacle of young people from Africa boarding rickety contraptions to gamble their lives away on dangerous voyages in pursuit of opportunities abroad, either as conflict, climate and economic refugees, is a testament to the failures of the global economic system. At the recently concluded Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, we undertook to begin the journey to course-correct and execute a paradigm shift in our pursuit of development and climate action. First, we recognize that both climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals must be pursued simultaneously with greater resolve, urgency and ambition. No meaningful development can take place in countries that are also struggling with climate shocks and yet. at the same time, the frequency of climate emergencies impedes any meaningful development.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“supporting livelihoods, instituting reforms and fostering a political process guided and owned by Haitians, all with the aim of enabling free and fair elections within a reasonable timeframe. We are encouraged by many countries that have already stepped forward to take part in that solidarity. We must recognize that stability, peace and security form the foundation on which the pursuit and realization of sustainable development and climate action stand. That realization must enable us to formulate strategies that treat those initiatives as interconnected, mutually reinforcing and complementary dimensions of a single agenda.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“We must commit to showing, up in the spirit of solidarity, to help a people regain their political and socioeconomic footing by reinforcing the underlying enabler: security. Kenya is ready to play its part in full and jointly with a coalition of other nations of goodwill — and there are many — as a great friend and true sibling of Haiti. We urge the United Nations to urgently deliver an appropriate framework to facilitate the deployment of multinational security support as part of a holistic response to Haiti’s challenges. We call on the Security Council to contribute positively by adopting a resolution under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations that tailors the security support mission to the specific needs of Haiti and its people. That should be part of a comprehensive strategy that includes delivering humanitarian aid.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Haiti is the ultimate test of international solidarity and collective action. The international community has failed that test so far. and thus let down a people very, very badly. Haiti deserves better from the world. The cry of our brothers and sisters, who were the first people to win their struggle for freedom from colonial tyranny, has reached our ears and touched our hearts. Doing nothing in the face of the historic isolation, neglect and betrayal of the people of Haiti is out of the question. Inaction is no longer an option. As we mobilize to show up for Ukraine and countries that have experienced the devastating impact of climate shocks, including Libya. Morocco and Hawaii, we must not leave Haiti behind.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Although the delegation encountered significant challenges in its mission, we remain very proud that it showed up. The hunger for peace and security in Africa is evident, and that bodes well for the prospects of attaining the African Union Agenda 2063 and global peace. Kenya stands in solidarity with all humankind, without regard to region or border or hemisphere. That is why and how we see the people of the Republic of Haiti, who are suffering immensely from the bitter legacy of slavery, colonialism, sabotage and neglect. As a nation that was forced to wage a painful struggle for its own independence and sovereignty. Kenya empathizes very deeply with the humiliation of the proud people of Haiti, the price they have had to pay for their hunger for liberty, and the sorrow they have endured for their thirst for freedom.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“We are also proud of the progress made in stabilizing eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo as a result of the EAC regional force, setting that country on the path to sustainable peace and stability. In Ethiopia, the guns have fallen silent following the Pretoria and Nairobi agreements, while in South Sudan, the parties have committed to exploring ways to resume and conclude the stalled peace process and to hold elections. Our proactive commitment to peace, which is not limited to our continent, inspired us to dispatch the African peace delegation, consisting of six African Heads of State, to Moscow and Kyiv with a 10-point peace plan, beginning with efforts to initiate a mediation process to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“All across Africa, there is progress in efforts to resolve conflicts and restore peace and stability while, at the same time, we are witnessing setbacks to democratic consolidation in the form of unconstitutional changes to Government. Kenya remains committed, determined and indefatigable in its contributions to unity, peace, security, stability and prosperity. Often, we have made encouraging progress. For example. On 5 December 2022. the Juba Peace Agreement, ushering in a two-year transition, was signed by the parties to the conflict in the Sudan. A day afterwards, the Inter-Congolese Dialogue, a process led by the East African Community (EAC). concluded its third session in Nairobi. The following day. the Government of Somalia and Somaliland agreed to resume reconciliation.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“We as Africa have come to the world, not to ask for alms, charity or hand-outs, but to work with the rest of the global community and give every human being in this world a decent chance of security and prosperity by taking necessary actions, mobilizing adequate resources for investment, confronting security challenges and resolving conflicts, as we also make our contribution to global prosperity. Kenya is proud of the contributions it continues to make in its tireless endeavour to support peacemaking, conflict prevention, peacekeeping, peace-building and other interventions undertaken across different regions.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“It is time for multilateralism to reflect the voice of the farmers, represent the hopes of villagers, champion the aspirations of pastoralists, defend the rights of fisherfolk, express the dreams of traders, respect the wishes of workers and. indeed, protect the welfare of all peoples of the world. In the face of the most urgent crises of our time, it is now clear that the international community has fallen seriously behind in meeting its targets in both climate action and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as their underlying enablers, peace and security.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“The environment of pervasive mistrust between the global North versus the global South, developed versus the developing, rich versus poor, polluters versus victims and net emitters versus net victims, which complicates and frustrates multilateralism, is the inevitable result of promises not kept, commitments not actualized, resolutions not honoured and principles not observed. Multilateralism has been failed by the abuse of trust, negligence and impunity. A year ago. I stood in the Assembly Hall (see A/77/ PV.6) to call upon the global community to transform the United Nations system in order to achieve a consensus-driven, rules-based multilateral system that works for the people of the world in their diversity.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“The existence of those inimical cliques of geopolitical formations defies the fundamental values and principles of the United Nations system, and its operations have led to alienation, mistrust, insecurity and the exclusion of and among peoples, nations, regions and continents. Moments like this place the nature and purpose of multilateralism under sharp scrutiny for history’s honest examination and judgment. If any confirmation were ever needed that the Nations Security Council is dysfunctional. undemocratic. non-inclusive. unrepresentative and therefore incapable of delivering meaningful progress in our world as presently constituted, the rampant impunity of certain actors on the global scene settles the matter.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“It is at moments like this that the affirmative spirit of multilateralism, international collective action and global solidarity are most needed and should be attainable. This is not the occasion for any Member of the United Nations to escape when they should be rising to the challenge of the moment. Resorting to the pursuit of narrow, insular and antisocial agendas, within exclusive clubs constituted to maintain the status quo that undermines and cannibalizes the United Nations system at the expense of progress in humankind’s collective journey to the future of our aspirations, is totally unacceptable.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“The poverty, fear, suffering and humanitarian distress haunting the victims of conflict, drought, famine, flooding, wildfires, cyclones, deadly disease outbreaks and other disasters are the outcomes of sustained violation of the most essential principles and the systematic neglect of humankind’s dearest values, which lie at the very foundation of the Charter of the United Nations. The failure of peace and security systems, inadequate development and limited climate action, amidst technological advancement and enormous wealth, have left us in a state of paralysis, enduring one of the darkest periods of human existence. We may all agree, without any fear of contradiction, that the world is headed in a most undesirable direction.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“The world over today, hundreds of millions of people are besieged by anxiety about their present and future security, dignity and prospects of well-being. Many are victims and witnesses of present assaults and many more are afraid of future violations of their most fundamental expectations. In his opening address (see A/78/PV.4). our Secretary-General provided a graphic snapshot of the condition of the world and humankind, a situation that calls into question the state of multilateralism in terms of its founding aspirations, as well as its present agenda.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“We can make progress in addressing the triple global threats and liberate ourselves from the shame of the past failures of multilateralism. At this watershed moment, we must not only choose but also act decisively to bequeath to our children and their children a greener, safer, healthier and more abundant Earth. Let us do it together — inclusively and multilaterally.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“It is important that the output of this forum and other similar forums achieve immediate resonance in the minds and lives of our young people, who still seek the opportunity to express and actualize themselves; our farmers, who work to feed our nations; our jua kali entrepreneurs, who strive in pursuit of success in the informal economy; and our professionals, who formulate policy, implement strategy and monitor service delivery in the public and private sectors. Africa places immense value on the international community and the tremendous possibilities it can unlock through inclusive, sustainable and effective action to transform the lives of our peoples and establish lasting peace, security and shared prosperity. This watershed moment is our chance to turn the key and open that door of opportunity.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“The integrity of the international order must be measured by the distance separating our resolutions, consensus and agreement from decisive actions, committed interventions and effective solutions. A watershed moment therefore demands that we reduce that gap drastically and quickly. Kenya pursues numerous essential domestic agendas through the multilateral framework. We are heavily invested in the strength, effectiveness and eventual success of all the interventions formulated by the United Nations.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“A population of 8 billion people, in a densely networked world, increasingly looks up to the multilateral system as the anchor of their individual aspirations, both directly and indirectly through robust national frameworks. Therefore, the United Nations system is increasingly expected to be responsive to those needs, and the proceedings in forums such as the General Assembly are expected to speak to ordinary people in the far-flung reaches of our incredibly diverse globe. It is impossible to address all their individual needs directly, but it is possible to respond to all of them by speaking with conviction to the universal values of equality, inclusion, justice, solidarity and collective action, while making sure that all our interventions effectively reflect them, with clarity.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“In conclusion, Kenya joins the Secretary-General in calling for the strengthening of multilateralism as the only sustainable path to a peaceful, stable and prosperous world for all. That is the imperative of our time and the call of this moment. It is time to work on the trust deficit with stronger conviction that none of us is really safe until all of us are safe. The theme of the seventy-seventh session, “A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges”, demands that we recognize that the crises we must confront are interlinked in a complicated way. They can be effectively addressed only through more imaginative strategies and innovative formulas.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“I applaud innovative partnerships such as the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for their progress in addressing the three menaces. I also welcome the ambitious targets set for the seventh replenishment cycle. Kenya is committed to supporting the Global Fund and implementing agreed targets in order to actualize our pledge at the Replenishment Conference. Kenya calls upon all countries implementing the Global Fund programmes, especially fellow African States, to remain at the forefront in championing the successful replenishment of the Fund. In that way, the mobilization of much-needed resources will be enhanced, thereby bringing us closer to the elimination of those dangerous diseases.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“History indicates that the last time that Africa was the focal point of strong and effective multilateral consensus was during the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, and the character of the ensuing interventions casts a long shadow to date. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the failure of multilateralism during crises, which relegates the people of Africa outside the circle of moral consideration and normalizes humanitarian neglect and other casual injustices, is a failure of humankind. Nothing about Africa — I repeat, nothing about Africa or its peoples — makes it acceptable for that type of failure to persist in this era, and we have an urgent moral duty to do better and right that wrong. For decades, Africa has borne the brunt of three epidemics — HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Whenever human life, security and welfare are in jeopardy, it is immoral to administer interventions through frameworks that are anchored on fundamental inequality. We are all witnesses to admirable demonstrations of effective solidarity in response to crises in various parts of the world. Our knowledge of the possibility of spontaneous, yet resolute, global solidarity reinforces the African exception as particularly repugnant. From genocides and civil conflict to famine and pandemics, the African continent is consistently left behind to bear the brunt of weak solidarity and the disastrous failure of multilateralism.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“That modality of collective action is particularly vital for building resilient health systems, whose importance in enabling us to withstand future pandemics and other health crises can no longer be disputed. For that reason, Kenya will continue to strongly support the development of legally binding World Health Organization international instruments in order to anchor global solidarity and promote equity. The fact is that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed, for all the world to see, the severe deficit of those critical values in our current multilateral configuration. Global supply chains remained impervious to demand in the global South generally and to Africa in particular. Unequal access to vaccines underscored that unjust and unequal situation, with unforgettable clarity.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“We welcome the call by President Biden this morning for the expansion of the membership of the Security Council as a significant step in the right direction and look forward to building consensus towards realizing that. The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted health systems, thereby seriously challenging the implementation of programmes that are vital for the realization of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To place us firmly back on track and accelerate our progress towards the SDG targets, it is imperative for us to foster sustainable partnerships among Governments, other State actors, civil society and the private sector.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Given the magnitude and variety of challenges the world continues to confront, a more fit-for-purpose United Nations is urgently needed, one that possesses the legitimacy and efficacy required to deal with threats to international peace and security. A just and inclusive world order cannot be spearheaded by a Security Council that persistently and unjustly fails the inclusivity criterion. Similarly, threats to democracy will not be credibly resolved by an undemocratic and unrepresentative Security Council. It is vitally important for that critical institution to reflect the values it is entrusted to protect, defend and uphold on behalf of humankind.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“It is time for multilateralism to reflect the voices of the farmers, represent the hopes of villagers, champion the aspirations of pastoralists, defend the rights of fisherfolk, express the dreams of traders, respect the wishes of workers and indeed protect the welfare of all the peoples of the global South. Let me express my country’s strong collective conviction that the relevance, legitimacy and moral authority of the United Nations will forever remain deficient and undermined in the absence of comprehensive reforms of the Security Council. We therefore remain firmly committed to reforming the Security Council to make it a more effective, representative and democratic global institution.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“I am also proud to state that Kenya has continued to champion closer cooperation between regional mechanisms and the Security Council as an effective means for achieving international peace and security. Kenya continues to advocate the renewal of the African Union Peace and Security Architecture, which draws comparative strength from the highly productive complementarity among the United Nations, the African Union and the regional economic communities. Working closely with the other two elected African members of the Security Council, we are committed to finding a stronger African voice in the Council and achieving a consensus-driven, rules-based multilateral system. It is our manifest intention to see greater pan- Africanization of the global agenda in order to make multilateralism work for the people of the world in their diversity.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“In its role as an anchor State in the region, Kenya has sustained our investment in diplomatic efforts to find lasting peace in multiple situations within and beyond the region. Although some processes have yielded undeniable success, challenges remain. I therefore strongly reiterate our call for partnership towards confidence-building measures and urge more concerted efforts to achieve sustainable peace and stability. Kenya is currently serving on the Security Council. I am proud to confirm that our engagement over the past two years has prioritized regional peace and security, countering terrorism and violent extremism, peace support operations and climate and security as critical contributions to collective efforts to build a safer, more prosperous and peaceful world.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“I also urge the Group of 20 to extend and expand the scope of the common framework to suspend or reschedule debt repayments by middle-income countries during the pandemic recovery period. I would like the Assembly to take a moment to consider the peace and security landscape — one that is currently beset with multiple challenges but also abounds with considerable opportunities. Our home region of East Africa and the Horn of Africa, in particular, is burdened by significant conflicts and challenges that have implications for the region’s development. We stand on the cusp of a vast opportunity to galvanize confidence-building measures in order to generate and sustain momentum towards sustainable peace.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“I call on global financial institutions and the international community to take urgent steps to release all existing financial instruments in order to provide much-needed additional liquidity and secure better fiscal space for developing countries such as Kenya to enhance social investment, support climate change adaptation and mitigation, address security needs and resolve development financing challenges. On behalf of Kenya, I therefore join other leaders in calling on the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other multilateral lenders to extend pandemic- related debt relief to the worst-hit countries, especially those affected by the devastating combination of conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“I confirm that we have done our utmost in the circumstances. Nevertheless, it is not enough. Kenya and the rest of Africa, like other developing countries, are in need of greater international partnership and cooperation to avert economic crisis in the wake of the pandemic. Developing countries, which are heavily burdened by external-debt servicing, run the risk of losing development gains because of the shocks inflicted by the pandemic and associated disruptions.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“The first road map is the Kenya National Vision 2030, the formal long-term blueprint aimed at transforming Kenya into a newly industrializing, upper-middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens in a clean and secure environment by 2030. The second road map is the African Union’s Agenda 2063. The third road map is the Sustainable Development Goals. Kenya seeks to tap into a variety of resources to catalyse the achievement of those interlocking and mutually reinforcing objectives. The disruption and ensuing crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic compelled us to diversify our focus into new interventions, including an economic stimulus programme, a COVID-19 economic recovery strategy and a COVID-19 socioeconomic re-engineering recovery strategy, all aimed at mitigating the adverse impacts of the pandemic.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“As we look forward to the twenty-seventh Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, it is logical to expect that Member States will shift their attention towards the development and implementation of frameworks for climate change mitigation. Member States must complete their pending actions so they can turn to the implementation work that lies ahead. I therefore call on all of us to urgently deliver on all commitments made towards climate-change financing. It is critical to emphasize that we are running out of time in that regard. Over the past decade, Kenya has sustained its aggressive pursuit of rapid socioeconomic transformation through three principal road maps.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“For our part, I am pleased to report that, building on the historic 2018 Sustainable Blue Economy Conference, held in Nairobi, Kenya is reviewing its national blue-economy strategy in order to strengthen community structures in the participatory management of freshwater, coastal and marine resources and ecosystems. The strategy is expected to contribute to our economic development through food and nutrition security, coastal and rural development and income increases along the aquaculture value chains. It will also enhance maritime transport and tourism. We invite development partnerships to invest in Africa towards building the capacity to sustainably utilize marine resources. We must rally together to make the best use of Africa’s vast blue resources in developing our economies while meeting our climate targets.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Kenya remains a strong advocate for making the sustainable use of ocean and blue-economy resources a development priority, holding the firm belief that significantly increased investment in that essential sector can end hunger, reduce poverty, create jobs and spur economic growth. I urge the Secretary-General to continue calling attention to the urgent need to develop that vital sector. In particular, I call on developed countries to invest in sustainable fishing, protect marine ecosystems and share ocean-based climate solutions with developing countries.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Kenya is committed to working closely with other nations to pursue legally binding instruments aimed at bringing an end to plastic pollution. As the host nation to UNEP and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Kenya affirms that those critical United Nations agencies have an indispensable role in the promotion of environmental sustainability globally, as well as in developing socially and environmentally sound sustainable cities. In keeping with its strong commitment to multilateral institutions, Kenya has made more land available for the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON) to facilitate the upgrading of its complex. I take this opportunity to call on Member States to complement that contribution through enhanced financing aimed at adequately modernizing the UNON facilities Nairobi.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“I call for stronger global partnerships to enhance ICT infrastructure in developing countries and bridge the yawning digital divide between the global South and the rest of the world. The General Assembly’s seventy-seventh session follows the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), UNEP@50, as well as Stockholm+50 and the Ocean Conference in Lisbon. The outcomes of those conferences demanded real commitment to addressing global environmental concerns as a matter of urgency and a just transition to sustainable economies that work for all people. The fifth United Nations Environment Assembly’s adoption in Nairobi of the March 2022 landmark resolution to end plastic pollution is a decisive signal that the world is prepared and motivated to act to address that menace.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“I could not agree more with Secretary-General Guterres’ warning in this Hall yesterday, that “Without action now, the global fertilizer shortage will quickly morph into a global food shortage” (ibid., p. 2). We are encouraged to note that education, health, agriculture and numerous other public services have become increasingly reliant on digital access. The world needs greater investment in the development of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, accompanied by policies that support innovation and increased acquisition and deployment of technology. In so doing, we should be driven by the conviction that those measures offer a viable shortcut to poverty reduction and the promotion of inclusive development.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“They include the registration of farmers to direct incentives, improving farmer practices through customized extension services, the monitoring of emergency food-reserve stocks using a digital food balance sheet and the use of an early-warning system to monitor food supplies and market prices. Agriculture remains the bedrock of the development of many nations and will therefore continue to hold the key to ensuring equitable and sustainable growth for our people. No country, large or small, has ever attained significant growth without modernizing its agricultural sector. And as we rededicate ourselves to those targets, we must, in the immediate term, find answers to the severe deficit in the availability, flow and accessibility of fertilizer to our farmers worldwide.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“I add that we must not be taken by surprise. If being forewarned indeed means being forearmed, this is our opportunity to mobilize with tremendous urgency and take action at once. The agricultural sector has an important part to play in reducing the severity of climate change. A number of practices have a bearing, positive or negative, on various dimensions of the environment. Investing in modern agricultural technology is therefore one important avenue towards tackling prevailing environmental challenges. Kenya is responding through substantial investment in climate-resilient agriculture. At the core of our 10-year strategy for agricultural-sector growth and transformation are nine flagships.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Every day is an opportunity for us as leaders to expedite our efforts to confront the triple planetary crisis. It should be recalled that during the Stockholm+50 meeting, which Kenya had the honour of co-hosting with Sweden, there was agreement among States on the need to act urgently to address environmental impacts. Given that consensus, it is deeply concerning that little progress has been made with regard to the action that is needed. It is time to collectively contemplate the urgent measures needed to implement the high- priority actions we must take in order to contain the ongoing disruptions, as well as deliberate on longterm implementation approaches to be undertaken. I fully agree with the Secretary-General’s memorable statement, that “[w]e have a rendezvous with climate disaster” (A/77/PV.4, p.3).”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)