King’s Day 2023 Speech Ambassador Maarten Brauwer | News Article

News | 27-04-2023 | 20:00

In the midst of politically difficult times in both the Netherlands and Kenya, I would like to share some views on the importance of preventing a reversion of high-trust societies to low-trust societies.

The speech came at a time of upheaval at the global, regional and national levels. War is ravaging Sudan. Sudan is a country that has undergone a promising transition from authoritarian and military rule to civilian rule. That fragile process was halted by a military conflict that cost millions of Sudanese. The conflict also threatens our international friends working in Sudan from working with the country to achieve peace and prosperity. That is what power struggles cause: devastation, terror, loss of life and loss of livelihood. We applaud Kenya for standing up and attempting mediation on behalf of her IGAD members.

In Europe, the deplorable “one year anniversary” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has passed. Again, loss of life, devastation and terror because in a civilized world power is used to achieve goals that should be resolved through words, reaching out and building friendships. Mediation is still a long way off, but it should be the only way to hikikomori and peace.

Both conflicts have profound consequences on the global and regional stage, including rising prices, food shortages, refugee flows and energy shortages. All of this will occur in Africa, Europe and elsewhere during periods of climate change that have already reduced the resilience of populations. Although this rainy season has performed much better, the effects of drought continue to have a major impact on Kenya and Somalia. It takes years for vulnerable communities to recover. Investments in humanitarian assistance and resilience will be needed in the years to come.

Excellence and friends, these are sober reflections. As I said above, it’s not just military conflicts, droughts and floods that shake our world. Other controversies exist as well. In my home country of Holland, I am facing many crises at the same time. Climate mitigation in agriculture requires new production modes that are more respectful of climate resilience. Refugee crisis as the flow of refugees continues to grow and the struggle to provide them with real safe haven is under pressure. An energy crisis due to rapid changes in the world’s energy supply. Budgets are at stake as the coronavirus pandemic has already depleted reserves. All of this has resulted in a dramatic decline in trust in government, and in politics more generally.

In Kenya, a similar crisis of trust has pushed political conflict beyond heated parliamentary debates to the streets, marked by violence and chaos. Let’s not forget that in societies with low credit, crime often increases. The fight against human trafficking that we, the Netherlands and Kenya, have recently been able to make together with other countries will only be solved if less people flee to other countries. It’s not enough to catch a human trafficking leader. The problem goes deeper than that and requires an integrated approach. Fugitives need a safe place. A ultimately safe space can only be guaranteed through integrated solutions with the host community. This is just one component of her deep crisis of climate change affecting Kenya, which proudly hosts UNEP and UN-Habitat. The knowledge is there, but no practical solutions have yet been brought home. Kenya’s September climate summit is a great opportunity to hear Africa’s solutions. Then Africa can speak at COP 28 as an equal partner in the debate. Kenya’s leadership and President Ruto’s leadership deserve our full cooperation.

As an accredited ambassador to Somalia, I would like to thank our network working on Somalia from here and the Somali Embassy here to celebrate the National Day. We are working hard with the Somali government to overcome the mutual challenges we face. Not only is this important on a bilateral basis, stability and progress in Somalia will benefit the region. Recently, Somalia’s neighbors decided to do more than ever to help fight al-Shabaab through ATMIS. Within the framework of the EU and bilaterally, we will reach out to our peoples to they To build a richer future.

Let me talk about the relevance of multilateral engagement, which is a big part of our strategy. As the first Secretary-General of the United Nations, Trigve his Lee said in his farewell address in 1953:

“Our organization (the United Nations) reflects the imperfections of our times, but it is also an expression of the world’s most constructive force and a symbol of hope for the future.”

The world is becoming more and more multipolar, and the relationships between the poles are currently not easy. In fact, the system has challenges for constructive engagement that we would like to resolve as soon as possible. The challenges we face in Nairobi are linked to the triple planetary crisis, poverty and conflict. These problems can only be solved using the most effective tools at hand: multilateral cooperation.That is of Lessons from the pandemic. Even if the United Nations cannot end violence, injustice and poverty, there is value in containing and reducing them. We therefore support the strengthening of UNEP and its Nairobi headquarters. This is why we believe the world would benefit from having her UNHQ in the Global South.

Excellence and Friends, The essence of turmoil in the world, Europe, Holland, Africa, Sudan and Kenya is a loss of trust. High trust societies give way to low trust societies. A Trusted Society is rule-based, respected by all parties, and able to peacefully explore solutions. Low-trust societies often have strong characteristics of power-based governance structures in which conflict is the way to find solutions.

We, the Netherlands and Kenya have strong ties, very strong ties. This is true both bilaterally and as part of the EU-Kenya partnership. Both countries value rules-based governance, and both countries share concerns about exclusion, which they seek to combat. I think this also applies to the opposite sex. The Netherlands is seeing an increase in violence against the LGBTQI+ community. There have been attempts to codify the exclusion of the LGBTQI+ community in law, as seen in Kenya. That is not the spirit of Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I plead with all. Don’t take the path of legal exclusion. Stay inclusive because exclusion leads to less trust, and less trust leads to conflict.

Kenya’s governing base of good constitution is a solid foundation to add to another 60 years of strong relations. We will celebrate her 60th anniversary in early 2024, and we have a lot to show.My diplomatic number plate shows that we were her number 27 to engage in formal diplomatic relations, but if Kenya were to issue new number plates based on economic ties, that number would be different. threeor twoFor the next few years our motto will be Partnering for sustainable solutions. It’s not limited to governments. This includes the commercial sector, which is representative of today’s business market. It also includes the non-profit private sector and NGOs that got involved yesterday. We look forward to further growth in cooperation as Kenya offers many opportunities. Beyond the economy, the essence of connecting the gateway to her EAC and Europe is also about stability and leaving no one behind. His three pillars of cooperation strategy for the next four years.

Very soon President Ruto will visit the Netherlands to strengthen these ties, my Foreign Minister will visit Kenya and many more engagements are planned.

In conclusion, today we celebrate a wonderful relationship. With all the difficulties and serious progress in our country and around us, Kenya and the Netherlands can rely on each other to come up with common solutions to the development, economic and stability challenges we face. Get more involved to find out. Three pillars are central to our strategy in Kenya. Promote trade and investment, leave no one behind, and strengthen stability. Addressing climate change, inequality, youth, women, refugees, ASAL counties, and building empowerment are guiding principles. We do this in partnership with countries and governments. That is our commitment to Kenya.

Asantesana.