1718 Committee 90-Day Work Report: Statement
Kenya's national statement, delivered by Amb. Michael Kiboino, Deputy Permanent Representative
I thank the Chair of the 1718 (2006) Committee for her report on the work of the Committee for the last 90 days and commend her stewardship.
I also commend the 1718 Committee for the good job it has been doing, particularly its continued application of an expedited decision-making procedure of two working days for COVID-19-related exemption requests. The committee's swift approval of new humanitarian exemption requests and amendment of existing ones is also laudable.
But, despite the Committee's efforts, the humanitarian situation in the country remains grave. We urge all concerned parties to take into consideration the plight of the innocent civilians of the DPRK in their decisions and actions relating to the situation in the Korean Peninsula.
We once again encourage the DPRK to reconsider its decision to close its borders in order to facilitate humanitarian assistance to its population. We also reiterate our call for concerned parties to unlock the stalemate in efforts to re-establish the banking channel to facilitate transfer of funds to humanitarian organisations.
Mr President, Kenya is concerned by the Panel of Experts' latest report detailing incidences of violation of sanctions by entities and networks operating vessels, through muddling of ownership structures and the misuse of Automatic Identification Systems. The Panel also reports of cases of continued illegal cyberactivity by the DPRK.
More disconcerting is the Panel's report that the DPRK has made preparations at its nuclear test sites. Notwithstanding the lull in the test launches of the ballistic missiles in recent days, this latest development poses a significant threat to the security of the region and beyond.
Recent events have confirmed that any breaches of security in one region can have far reaching implications on other regions both near and distant. The continuing global shortage and sharp rise in food and energy costs are as a result of a conflict that is far from many of our borders.
Kenya reiterates its call on the stakeholders in the immediate security situation in the Peninsula to use available diplomatic avenues with renewed determination, to find compromises - Compromises that will pull the region out the murky waters, where a slight miscalculation would lead to catastrophic consequences of global reach.
In conclusion, Kenya reaffirms its support and commitment to the work of the 1718 (2006) Committee.
I thank you