Announcement

Ambassador Congratulates Peace Partners at 'Practical Peace' Conference

Mombasa, Kenya  | Tuesday, October 02, 2007

 

Distinguished Partners in Peace:  I have been closely following your efforts.  I have been deeply impressed by the remarkable energy and commitment that is being put forth every day by district-level officials, civil society groups, traditional leaders, women's associations, and youth groups to resolve local and tribal disputes and to build peace between neighboring communities within and across borders.

Peace is built by individuals one step at a time.  I commend all of you for your leadership in conflict resolution.  In doing so, you are building a brighter future for your communities and for this great country.

Our support for your efforts is part of the strong and growing partnership between the United States and Kenya.  As citizens of a nation which has had its own painful history of ethnic and racial conflict, and continues to struggle with that, the American people well understand that the causes and dynamics of local conflict in the region are not simple and rarely have a single cause.  We know, too, that there is no simple, one-size-fits-all solution to the problems of local violence.  But our experience tells us that efforts like yours, which focus on effective local response and dialogue to resolve conflicts, represent the way forward. 

Our support for this meeting highlights the U.S. commitment to assist Kenyans to resolve local, regional, and tribal conflicts.  Our support and your efforts also testify to the power of partnership between the public and private sectors – which is so vitally important to achieve political, economic, and social progress in all democracies.  The government at the national and local level is working with non-governmental groups and local leaders on conflict resolution.  We salute, in that regard, the work of IGAD’s CEWARN Secretariat and the national early warning and response units and National Research Institutes.  These bodies have, in partnership with many of you, expanded their role from conflict early warning messages to helping devise preventative responses.  We are proud the U.S. Government, through USAID and our partners, has been able to support and encourage your efforts.  We intend to continue supporting these beyond the current USAID Peace Project Initiative, both through regional and bilateral programs.

I want to congratulate the Office of the President’s National Steering Committee on Peace-building and Conflict Management on the work it has been doing, with the help of its many partners, to strengthen Kenya's conflict-management structures and to develop a national policy.  I believe that this will serve as a model for the region.

Some of the conflicts that plague Kenya have a regional dimension.  The U.S. is working with states throughout the region to combat instability and terrorist threats, and to maintain peace along and within the borders of the IGAD member states.  This involves addressing the root causes of conflict, which include problems ranging from environmental degradation, to arms proliferation, to poor education opportunities, to disease, and to economic and political marginalization.

We also know that a great deal of violent conflict occurs as a result of disputes that are purely local in nature, often involving issues of survival for pastoralist groups that move over vast areas and across international frontiers. The peace partners here today and others in the region have been piloting effective local responses that focus on practical problem-solving.  Such efforts help everyone -- communities, governments, and the international community -- to head off retaliation and escalation without the need to resort to military force.  Achieving this advances good governance, protects the human rights of all citizens, and fosters economic development.

While longer-term development efforts are key to conflict resolution, local conflict erupts in the here and now, sometimes spontaneously.  Daily struggles for shelter and sustenance, ethnic and religious frictions exacerbate communal tensions. The people in this room are in the frontlines, helping communities to find non-violent solutions, to support dialogue, to find ways forward and systems that will help prevent future clashes.  It may often feel like little is known about what you do, or how important it is to the broader national and regional communities.  But as a result of your dedication, sound judgment, and effectiveness, communities know where to go and whom to call upon to prevent violent incidents from occurring or, where they occur, from escalating out of control.  You are developing the practical solutions to conflict, and that is why the title for this conference is “practical peace.”

I know that you will focusing on some important cross-border achievements:  peace agreed and maintained between Dodoth and Turkana;  the Garreh, Murule, and Marehan; and the Marehan and Ogadeni.  I commend you on those efforts and encourage you to persevere in other efforts which are not as far along, but which look promising.

I salute your dedication, hard work and courage. I congratulate you on your achievements, encourage you to build upon these, and give you our commitment that we will help you strengthen the peace-building networks that have come together here.