NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 14 — Kenya recorded a milestone on Tuesday after successfully rallying nine other elected members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to back a commitment to advance humanitarian efforts in Syria.
The country, one of the 10 non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, assumed as the coordinator of the E-10 — a league comprising of the ten nations elected to the UNSC for two-year terms — for the month of July.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the move was significant in addressing challenges birthed by the ongoing civil conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic that has adversely affected the country for more than a decade, with a resultant humanitarian catastrophe that continues to negatively impact the Syrian citizenry and the broader region.
The ministry noted that the joint statement by the E-10 was a major milestone given that elected members of the Council rarely issue joint statements, owing to the diversity of UNSC members and the regional realities that they represent.
“The sensitivities and complexities of the conflict in Syria are further compounded by the involvement of a myriad of military actors – mainly major and regional powers – that continue to complicate efforts at addressing the ensuing crises,” Kenya’s Foreign Office said in a statement released on Thursday.
“It is against this background that the UN Security Council, the principal institution in the maintenance and furtherance of International Peace and Security, has failed to proffer credible and lasting solutions to the Syrian Humanitarian Crisis,” the statement added.
MFA noted that earlier efforts by the UNSC to adopt a resolution on humanitarian aid flopped after members failed to agree on two competing resolutions.
“Both of these resolutions failed to be adopted by the Council, largely due to the divergent philosophical and political approaches to the conflict in Syria by the major powers in the Council,” the Foreign Office said.
Efforts by Kenya to unite the E-10 were a follow-up to resolve the stalemate.
In his address to the Council on behalf of the E-10, Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Martin Kimani, pointed out that, “The E-10’s fundamental interest is for the Security Council to meet the grave needs of the Syrian people. The E-10, therefore, stands behind the co-penholder’s text as it allows for critical humanitarian assistance to be delivered”.
Amb. Kimani further stated that the E10 would continue to play a constructive role that aimed to bridge divides and identify useful compromises that advanced the humanitarian wellbeing of the Syrian people.
Kenya reiterated its commitment to its philosophy and belief that global challenges are only surmountable if the world’s rules-based multilateral system is deployed in a manner that attracts consensus, not only in the appreciation of the challenges, but also in the evolution of practical response strategies.
