Summit remarks · 15 June 2024
1. 79 years after the international community established a multilateral institutional framework to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been a horrifying spectacle of carnage and devastation, which has left 500,000 people dead, and 7.1 million displaced in its wake. Across the world, people and nations are enduring the negative consequences of disrupted supply chains.
Kenya's position has been clear and unequivocal from the beginning: Russia's aggression against Ukraine is unlawful, unjust and a violation of the fundamental principles of international law which honour the sovereign equality of nations, upholds their territorial integrity and advocates the peaceful resolution of all disagreements.
Just like the war in Ukraine, the war in the Middle East has been equally devastating. Likewise, Africa's many long-running and long-forgotten wars continue unabated, wreaking unimaginable devastation on a daily basis. Nearly 16 different conflicts are raging on our continent, from the Western Sahel to the Horn of Africa in the East, and from the Lake Chad basin to the Great Lakes region. In the Sudan, a senseless war continues to cause death, destruction and hopelessness among people and is also threatening the integrity of that country. Regionally, four of the top 10 countries facing acute food insecurity as a result of the conflict are in the Horn of Africa. In West Africa, the number of schools closed reached over 13,250, depriving more than 2.5 million children of an education. As of June 2023, nearly 7,800 primary schools, attended by 1.4 million children were closed in the Sahel region.
Cumulatively, millions of lives have been lost, while 40.4 million Africans have been forcibly displaced. Since 2011, the number of newly displaced people has been rising steadily and, in 202223 alone, stood at over 3.2 million people.
Today, a farmer in rural Kenya is acutely aware that there is war in Ukraine because the cost of fertiliser has gone up and it now takes 45 days longer for consignments to reach our port because shipping routes have changed.
This state of affairs is indicative of a dysfunctional global peace architecture, and a failure of leadership. There is a Chinese saying, that a good general wins the war before it begins. The outbreak of these wars is, without doubt, a massive indictment on the current peace infrastructure, especially the United Nations Security Council, which is trapped in chronic gridlock.
This peace summit is a historic step in the right direction. For the first time, we have convened to talk about peace in Ukraine and not war in Ukraine. Therefore, we must be clear and determined to make it only about peace in Ukraine.
Secondly, a commitment to peace makes certain fundamental concessions inevitable. This Summit should not be a meeting of just friends; this should be a meeting of both friend and foe. To proceed in the positive direction initiated by this summit, we must collectively move towards ending the war through inclusive dialogue. The fact is, no meaningful headway can be made without bringing Russia to the table, and this is a gap that must be addressed with urgency.
An American, General, Norman Schwarzkopf said, “The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war.” It is time for the leaders of the world to talk about peace, negotiate peace, work hard to build peace and configure a global strategic framework that integrates peace as the sole means and end of human endeavour.
We, who have gathered here at this highly opportune Ukraine Summit, bear the responsibility of inaugurating the next phase of human progress, under a policy of peace and prosperity, by living up to humanity's universal values, which are the foundation of multilateralism. The first step for us is to recognise no war will ever deliver peace and that peace can only be assured by peaceful resolution through dialogue.
The great Indian statesman, Mahatma Gandhi said that an eye for an eye will make humanity blind. Just as Russia's invasion of Ukraine was unlawful and unacceptable, the unilateral seizure of Russian assets is equally unlawful and unacceptable. Once we contemplate the path of peace, all notions of vengeance must be dispelled, and unilateral actions, which contradict the essence of multilateralism and collective action, must also be avoided by all means. All of us who believe in freedom, justice, democracy and the rule of law, and are committed to multilateralism, must avoid unilateral and unjust actions which violate the UN charter.
As we embark on this collective journey to resolve conflict in Ukraine and throughout the world, it is time for parties to the war in Ukraine to demonstrate good faith, abandon intransigent attitudes, and soften their positions. This includes implementing a freeze in position by both parties, to facilitate humanitarian access and establish a pathway to peace. I thank You.