Statement by Hon. Stephen K Musyoka, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kenya, during the official opening of the Second Ministerial Review Conference on Small Arms in Nairobi on 20th to 21st April, 2004

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Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. May I at the outset extend a warm welcome to you all to Kenya and to the second Ministerial Review Conference of the Nairobi Declaration on the Problem of the Proliferation of Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa. I am particularly delighted to note that all the ten member states parties to the Nairobi Declaration are represented at the conference. This is a clear testimony of the importance which the countries of our sub-region attach to the problems posed by the proliferation of small arms.

I would like to extend a special welcome to Hon. Jeremie Bonnelame, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Seychelles to the conference. Though not a signatory to the Nairobi Declaration, Seychelles has taken a keen interest in our small arms programmes and activities, and in the implementation of our coordinated agenda for action. It is my hope that they will soon become an integral part of these sub-regional efforts to combat the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons.

Our experts met in Nairobi on 17th and 18th February, 2004, and came up with two documents, the draft Nairobi Protocol for the prevention, control and reduction of small arms and light weapons, and the ministerial declaration for improved capacity for action on small arms and light weapons in the Great Lakes region and the Horn of Africa. These documents will be submitted to the ministers for approval and signature during this conference.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the draft Nairobi Protocol in particular acknowledges that the problem of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in our region has been exacerbated by internal political strife and extreme poverty. The Protocol also recognizes that a comprehensive strategy to arrest and deal with the problem must include putting in place structures and processes to promote democracy, the observance of human rights, the rule of law and good governance as well as economic recovery and growth. One of the major objectives of the draft protocol is therefore to reaffirm the goals of the Nairobi Declaration as well as to facilitate the implementation of the Declaration and its coordinated agenda of action. The protocol further seeks to institutionalize the existing arrangements from a level of programmes, by transforming the Secretariat into a fully fledged legal entity capable of discharging the mandate more effectively.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, one of the dominant features witnessed by the international community for more than a decade has been the violent breakdown of civil society, law and order, and governance in a number of countries throughout the world. This has been manifested by outbreaks of ethnic strife, religious persecution, racial discrimination, linguistic and other forms of communal intolerance, as well as the melting away of social norms and government structures that would otherwise contain the violence.

The serious effects arising out of this “failed state syndrome” during the last decade cannot be overstated. The very nature of conflict has been transformed from the traditional combat between nation-states to inter-communal conflict within states.

The defining characteristic of such conflict is the widespread death and suffering resulting from small arms and light weapons, which are readily obtainable, both legally and illicitly. These types of arms are easily mastered by untrained civil combatants, and even child soldiers as we have witnessed in our own sub-region, as opposed to major conventional weapons traditionally associated with war – tanks, aircraft and warships.

Indeed, the illegal flow of arms from Somalia remains one of the major security concerns to Kenya. It is estimated that some 60 000 illicit arms have found their way into Kenya through smuggling. A recent report by a United Nations committee of experts monitoring the effectiveness of an arms embargo on Somalia concluded that huge caches of arms had been shipped to Somalia. There is no doubt therefore that the task of monitoring and detecting this illegal traffic must be taken more seriously by those in the region endangered by this problem.

The major challenge as we confront this menace remains one of ensuring that our efforts to manage the crisis are also complemented by serious efforts aimed at addressing the root causes of conflict in our sub-region. We should work to reduce access to the tools of violence, especially the small arms and light weapons, which continue to be the main weapon of choice in the vast majority of conflicts not only in our sub-region, but also the world at large.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the international community has made great strides in addressing illicit small arms and light weapons. A number of sub-regional and regional initiatives have been undertaken culminating in the adoption of the United Nations programme of action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects in July 2001. What remains now is a universal and binding commitment by the international community to strengthen the global efforts to control the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

In this regard, Kenya supports the control of arms initiative to reduce the proliferation and misuse of small arms, and to convince governments across the world to introduce a legally binding arms trade treaty. Such a treaty would provide a set of common minimum standards for control of small arms transfers, and a workable operative mechanism for the application of these standards based on the existing responsibilities of states under international law.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the war against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in our sub-region will be determined by the success in the implementation of the Nairobi Declaration by member states, institutionalization of the National Focal Points, and a comprehensive and concerted implementation of the coordinated agenda for action for the sub-region to promote human security and ensure that all states have in place adequate laws, regulations and administrative procedures to exercise effective control over the possession and transfer of small arms and light weapons.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, may I take this opportunity to thank all our donors, especially the government of the United Kingdom through the Department for International Development (DFID) for the continued support for the implementation of the Nairobi Declaration through funding extended to the Nairobi Secretariat and state parties engaged in national action plans. I would also like to express our appreciation to our civil society partners, particularly Saferworld, SaferAfrica and Security Research and Information Centre (SRIC) for the technical support made available to the Nairobi Secretariat, as well as member states’ National Focal Points.

I must at the same time call upon member states to continue working towards identifying alternative sources of funding for the Nairobi Secretariat to ensure its long term sustainability and effectiveness. In this regard, I would like to thank the friends of the Nairobi Declaration for their support and request them to honour their commitments as laid out in the approved terms of reference.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the government of Kenya will continue to extend all the necessary support to the Nairobi Secretariat. At the moment, two officers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are attached to the Secretariat to reinforce its compliment of small staff. During the course of last year, the government facilitated the relocation of the Secretariat from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters.

The Secretariat recruited four members of staff, two of whom are non-Kenyans in line with the operational guidelines identified during the last ministerial review conference. I look forward to the recruitment of additional professionals in order that the Secretariat may be able to fulfill its mandate.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the ultimate objective of the Nairobi Declaration is to make our streets safe, our cities secure, our rural communities free from crime, and bring peace, stability and sustainable development to the countries of this region. The declaration must have a direct impact in the lives of ordinary people. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to declare the second Ministerial Review Conference of the Nairobi Declaration on small arms and light weapons officially open.

Thank you.