Topic:
Country: Kenya
Delegate Name: Matthew Matola
Country: Kenya
Delegate Name: Matthew Matola
11/22/22
Submitted To: United Nations Security Council
From: Kenya
Subject: The Situation in Ukraine
The nation of Kenya believes that the situation in Ukraine, as well as its lasting worldwide consequences, are of the utmost importance, and calls on our fellow members of the United Nations to reach a swift and peaceful resolution to the conflict. The delegation of Kenya additionally urges the committee to consider the global repercussions of the disrupted agricultural and oil resources as a result of the conflict. In solidarity with Ukraine the nation of Kenya formally recognizes Ukraine’s rights as an independent state and is deeply concerned by the failure of Russia and its allies to reach a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Kenya recognizes that in the establishment of borders after a separation of nations there will often be times that groups of people fall on one side or the other apart from where they believe they ought to be. It is at these times that peaceful approaches that remain respectful of nations shared culture and history, yet differing nationality must be employed. The nation of Kenya sees the Russian response as a failure to resolve the situation through diplomatic means and emphasizes the importance of respect for Ukrainian national sovereignty. Russia’s concern for the shared heritage of the Ukrainian and Russian populations fails to justify the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine’s sovereign territory.
The delegation of Kenya would like to draw attention to the parallels between the Ukrainian situation and the founding of the African states. The formation of these aforementioned states cleaved apart ethnic groups and communities just as has been claimed by Russia in regards to Ukraine, however Kenya and other African states have chosen to pursue political, economic, and legal integration, rather than militaristic in the hopes that peaceful cooperation will lead us to a long lasting shared peace.
As stated by the Kenyan UN ambassador Martin Kimani in a February 2022 rebuttal of Russia’s course of action “We believe that all states formed from empires that have collapsed or retreated have many peoples in them yearning for integration with peoples in neighboring states. This is normal and understandable. After all, who does not want to be joined to their brethren and to make common purpose with them? However, Kenya rejects such a yearning from being pursued by force. We must complete our recovery from the embers of dead empires in a way that does not plunge us back into new forms of domination and oppression.”
It is the view of Kenya that regardless of the claims of historic right to ownership of Ukrainian territory by Russia, this violent approach is a dangerously nostalgic view of international and regional issues, and is wholly unjustified. Furthermore, this invasion undermines the values of diplomacy and international discussion that make up the core values of the United Nations.
In regards to the immediate worldwide implications of this conflict, Kenya and many other nations around the world depend on agricultural resources from Russia and Ukraine to feed their populace. Kenya sources around 67% of its wheat from Russia and around 22% from Ukraine. Additionally, Kenya and East Africa as a whole buys significant quantities of crucial fertilizer from Russia. Without this fertilizer the ability of these countries to produce crops is significantly limited/ Recently due to the conflict as well as trade restriction the prices of these crucial provisions have greatly increased. The delegation of Kenya emphasizes the importance of a swift resolution to the conflict in order to reopen these crucial trade routes, and reminds the committee that access to food is an internationally recognized right.
In response to increased oil costs due to the conflict the government of Kenya has implemented a fuel stabilization program to combat oil price fluctuation. This has necessitated the further tapping of strategic oil reserves to replace the oil that can no longer be sourced from Russia. This puts strain on nations that have limited oil reserves, including Kenya, and may destabilize the economies of those who cannot put such programs into place.
The delegation of Kenya supports a resolution to the Ukrainian situation that is founded in creating a stable peace in the region, rather than attempting to redraw the borders based on perceived historical rights to ownership. Additionally, the delegation reminds the committee that many countries depend on the reopening of the resource supply routes to provide important supplies of fuel and food, and that creating a solution to trade restrictions in the area is of great importance. Finally, the delegation of Kenya reaffirms its respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty within its internationally recognized and accepted borders and maintains that to alter them would be to infringe on Ukraine’s national sovereignty as a member of the United Nations.
