Countries must commit to work together to confront the spouting insecurities witnessed in different parts of the world, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has said.
Speaking during the Munich Leaders Meeting (MLM) in Nairobi on Sunday, Mudavadi said there is need for innovative solutions for a more peaceful world, given the constantly mutating security threats including conventional wars in Europe and the Middle East, and protracted conflict and instability in Africa confounded by a resurgence of unconstitutional government changes.
He said the complexity and magnitude of security concerns have multiplied and broadened globally, which calls for the need to cooperate and work together, in an honest and open manner.
“This meeting is timely and crucial. It has brought together African leaders and our global counterparts to discuss ways and means of creating partnerships for peace in addressing contemporary security challenges,” said Mudavadi.
And as President William Ruto said during this year’s United Nations General Assembly, Mudavadi affirmed that Kenya will soon lead a Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti, a country which has faced decades of insecurity and political instability.
“It is my firm belief that, given many years in peace building combined with the support of the international community, we will succeed in bringing peace to Haiti,” he said.
The PCS said Kenya is an anchor State and guarantor of regional peace and security and is in a region characterized by State instability, fragility, and volatility.
Kenya’s positioning, he said, greatly influences pursuit of peace in the neighborhood, the continent and world and has unceasingly offered practical solutions to peace and security challenges in the region.
He cited Somalia and Sudan peace processes, which were both birthed and mediated in Kenya as distinct examples of commitments. Similarly, he said Kenya’s troop and police-contribution to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) and the East African Community Regional Forces (EACRF) in eastern DRC further demonstrates Kenya’s peace credentials.
“Despite these achievements, however, we recognize that internal systems and local ownership provide durable solutions and should be nurtured, even as we seek external assistance,” he stated.
Mudavadi noted that this year marks a great milestone in relations between Kenya and Germany, saying the former is celebrating 60 years of independence, which also marks 60 years of strong uninterrupted bilateral relations between the two countries.
“We continue to work closely in diverse international fora in the push for a global agenda of peacebuilding, reforms of the United Nations Security Council and modifications of international institutions, including the global financial system,” he assured.
Mudavadi also stated that the two countries remain advocates for a strong multilateral action to tackle the most critical global challenges brought about by climate change.
Kenya has also been a crucial actor in various United Nations peace support missions within the continent and beyond.
“We must acknowledge that we are at the heart of a broken global political and financial system. Security threats and challenges continue to mutate at an alarming rate. The long-held structures for resolving conflicts are apparently inadequate and overwhelmed,” the PCS noted.
He said the Munich Leaders Meeting and the Tana Forum together with other innovative platforms with regional and local outreach should provide appropriate avenues for facilitating dialogue.
These entities will continue to be particularly relevant for as long lack of reforms in critical institutions such as the UN Security Council persists.
At the same time, the PCS urged countries to support the Africa Climate Summit’s proposal for a new financing architecture that is responsive to Africa’s needs including debt restructuring.
He regretted that Africa continues to pay heavily for ravages of climate change, and yet the continent’s carbon footprint remains small.
African countries including Kenya as well as Small Island States, said Mudavadi, continue to face disproportionate risks and burdens from unpredictable weather patterns.
“The urgency of reforming the multilateral financial system and the global security architecture to address the adverse effects of climate change cannot be overstated,” he affirmed.
