WSSD Statements: Kenya, Morroco

KENYA

Statement

by

His Excellency Hon. Daniel T. Arap Moi
C.G.H. MP, President and Commander in-Chief of The Republic of Kenya

at the
World Summit on Sustainable Development

Johannesburg, South Africa
2nd September 2002

Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to address this summit of distinguished world leaders assembled here to review the progress made since Rio ten years ago. I thank my Dear Brother and Colleague, President Thabo Mbeki, for the excellent arrangements put to our disposal and the Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for the preparatory work already undertaken.

Excellencies,
At Rio in June 1992, we committed ourselves in Agenda 21 to protect the environment and eradicate poverty, and to formulate priority actions for the realization of sustainable development.

Looking back at the last decade, the track record of implementation of the agreed actions to stop further deterioration of the global environment has been rather disappointing.

We certainly could have done better and achieved more, if the consensus and commitments displayed in Rio had been translated into real action.

I hope that this Summit will give fresh impetus to the commitment by the international community to the call of sustainable development and in particular to the implementation of the Johannesburg plan of action. We must move away from mere talk to real action.

Excellencies,
Experiences over the past decade have proved beyond doubt that certain key issues must be addressed as a matter of priority. Foremost among these is poverty, which is a major obstacle to efforts by Governments to ensure environmentally friendly socio-economic development.

Poverty reduces living conditions to a continuous and desperate struggle for survival. In such a situation, the luxury of weighing the consequences of one's actions does not exist.

The eradication of poverty is, therefore, crucial to the realization of sustainable development.

The problem of poverty has been compounded by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which has increased health care costs, and threatens to reverse the gains in the quality of life attained over many years.

This summit must therefore commit more resources towards social improvement programmes in health, education, water and sanitation, environmental degradation, infrastructure development and access to affordable energy.

Excellencies,
Sustainable development is unlikely to be achieved in Africa given the current levels of external debt, declining official development assistance and foreign direct investment flows.

The highly indebted poor countries initiative is a positive step towards alleviating the debt burden, which is responsible for massive outflows of scarce development resources from developing nations. Unfortunately however, many highly indebted countries, including Kenya, do not benefit from this initiative. I, therefore, call for the review of the eligibility criteria under this initiative and propose that countries facing high levels of poverty and debt burdens qualify for debt relief.

Excellencies,
Concerted efforts must be directed towards the full integration of developing countries into an effective participation in the global financial and trading systems.

I urge this summit to building on the momentum achieved in Doha, Monterrey and the Millennium Summit to ensure an equitable and transparent multilateral trading system.

Developing countries must be given full access to the markets in the North. At the same time, developed countries should endeavour to meet internationally agreed target of 0.7% of their official development assistance over the next five years.

Excellencies,
Although globalization has potential for diverse opportunities, its benefits are unevenly distributed. Its costs are borne by all while its benefits and opportunities are concentrated in a small number of countries in the North. It is therefore, imperative that this conference should address the challenge of attaining sustainable development in a globalising world.

Globalization must be channelled into a positive force for all peoples of the world. Resource mobilization through development initiatives should therefore occupy the centre stage to liberate Africa from poverty and underdevelopment.

Excellencies,
This conference must put in place an effective institutional framework which would ensure the timely implementation of the Plan of Action.

In this regard, there is need to strengthen the existing United Nations Agencies, especially UNEP and HABITAT, the two key institutions for the co-ordination of sustainable development initiative. They should be provided with adequate and predictable resources to enable them carry out their mandate fully and effectively.

I wish to conclude by challenging this summit to demonstrate greater commitment to address the development priorities identified in previous conferences. This conference must make a difference.

It is my sincere hope that we shall endeavour to rise above national interests and direct our efforts towards tackling the numerous problems that face our planet. It is only by doing so that we can guarantee the continued survival of the human race and all life forms on planet earth.
Let us not lose an opportune moment to build a new ethic of global stewardship. Let us seize the opportunity to make the planet earth a better habitat for the present and future generations.

Thank you.

ENDS

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MOROCCO

Statement

by

His Majesty Mohammed VI,
King of Morocco

at the
Summit on Sustainable Development

Johannesburg, South Africa
2 September 2002

Mr Chairman
Your Majesties,
Highnesses, Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen

I am happy to take part again in the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which is taking place in the Republic of South Africa, a land of militancy to which we are bound by a common struggle for freedom, unity and development. The very fact that this Conference is convening is, in my view, a strong and commendable indication that the international community is still aware of the relevance of the Rio Declaration, and committed to it as a reference in fostering sustainable development. This is a process which revolves around man and focuses on the protection of the environnment as the shared heritage of all mankind.

However, the limited progress achieved since the adoption of "Agenda 21" in implementing the Rio Declaration, has given rise to pressing questions about what went wrong and prevented the agenda from being carried out thoroughly.

As accountability starts with oneself, I thought it relevant to mention, first, what Morocco has done in this regard, within its limited resources.

My country has endeavoured to meet the challenges arising from the adverse affects of climatic change,drought and desertification. It has developed an ambitious, yet realistic, nation-wide scheme for this purpose. The plan provides for the adoption of a democratic, widely-based approach in devising and implementing environment-friendly programmes with special emphasis on the protection of bio-diversity. In fulfilling its international commitments with regard to sustainable development, Morocco has heisted a number of regional and international meetings, including the 7" Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Con%ention on Climatic Changes, wherein the Kyoto Protocol was developed into a concrete and operational agreement.

However, without thorough implementation of the relevant international commitments, Morocco and the other countries in the south, will continue to be confronted with the challenges of sustainable development, regardless of their good intentions and their input.

One may ask: was it possible to meet those challenges, while international cooperation was so inadequate, especially in terms of financing and of rational transfer of environment-friendly technology ?

Another question is : what has the international community done to fight dire poverty which affects more than 2596 of the world population and to cater for the vital needs of human beings ? One may also wonder : after the different tremors and the violent crises which shook the world recently , is everybody convinced now that fostering sustainable development is everyone's responsibility ?

But when it comes to Africa which is the focus of our attention, this question becomes a plea from the heart and from the conscience, because this continent is plagued more than any other by the proliferation of tension spots, and by economic and social evils and devasting diseases.

Just like other developing nations, African countries need to feel that the international community cares about their stability and development. They want partners who are truly committed and willing to help them in their effort to become integrated into the world economic system.

But for sake of truth and fairness, we should not put all the blame on the others. The countries in the South must work for optimal utilization of their human and natural resources. These potentialities must be devoted to achieving sustainable development, instead of being wasted on artificial disputes. Developing nations must display their commitment to the principles of good governance by boosting and releasing individual as well as collective capabilities.

What we need is to develop a comprehensive strategy, based on true partnership, genuine solidarity and an efficient "close proximity" approach. In addition, we should develop norms and standards to curb and contain the dangers resulting from climatic changes and from the overexploitation of water, forest and fish resources, as well as the risks arising from the pressure being exerted on ecosystems and biodiversity.

It is only when the international community fully shoulders its responsibilities in this respect that fear will be overcome and optimism rekindled. Then, a sense of universal citizenship will emerge, based on human solidarity and a genuine partnership between Governments, NGOs, the private sector and regional and international organizations. In this connection we can only commend the steps taken by Africa to develop NEPAD.

Given the size and the level of attendance at this Summit, and considering the fact that it is hosted by a militant nation, under the chairmanship of an enlightened African leader, His Excellency President Tabo Mbeki, I am confident that this Summit will prove to be helpful to mankind on the long and arduous road to sustainable development.

I would like to reiterate our thanks and appreciation to the Republic of South Africa for its generous hospitality and for its efforts in making this a successful conference. I also wish to commend the United Nations Organization for its unflagging effort to uphold solidarity, equilibrium, fairness and cooperation worldwide, for the sake of this generation and those to come.

Wassalamu Alaikum.

ENDS

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