Topic:
Country: Kenya
Delegate Name: Matthew Matola
11/23/22
Submitted To: United Nations Security Council
From: Kenya
Subject: The Situation in Syria
The nation of Kenya encourages this committee of the United Nations Security to council to promote political stability in Syria and advocates for the prompt return of refugees to their homes. Kenya recognizes the need of the refugees for a stable political climate in which to live and work, however, the delegation would also remind the committee of the significant financial and social burden associated with housing refugees. Kenya believes that pursuing a solution that would work to address the underlying instability in Syria and begin returning the refugees to Syria would be the most desirable outcome for all parties.
While not directly affected by the Syrian refugee crisis, the nation of Kenya has accepted many refugees from neighboring countries in recent years. The ongoing refugee crisis in sub-Saharan Africa as well as Kenya’s history of accepting refugees has left the nation with an insight into the burden refugees place upon their host nations. Refugee camps are expensive to support and also run the risk of becoming recruitment sites for terrorist groups. During a refugee crisis the amount of time the refugees plan to spend in their host country, and whether they wish to be integrated or return home, is often unclear.
As Syria remains an unstable nation, refugees are extremely unlikely to wish to return. This establishes Syrian refugees as a semi-permanent group of nationless individuals for the time being. This presents a major challenge, as well as financial burden, for nations currently hosting refugees. For this reason the delegation of Kenya encourages the committee to approach the issues of refugee hosting with delicacy and respect for the unique fiscal and cultural situations of the various host countries.
Finally the nation of Kenya recognizes and maintains the position that the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government was an unjustified and grave violation of international law. When working towards a solution to promote peace in Syria these extreme violations at the hands of the Syrian government must be taken into account. The delegation of Kenya acknowledges that these violations of international law must not go unnoticed, and must be taken into account when reaching a verdict on the Syrian situation.
