Central African Republic

Mr. President of the General Assembly,

The 78th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, in which I am participating on behalf of my beautiful country, the Central African Republic, offers me the happy opportunity to reaffirm our unwavering determination to contribute to the search for common solutions to the challenges facing humanity.

Mr. President,

Before making my country's contribution to the general debate, I would like, from this rostrum of the United Nations, the supreme symbol of human solidarity, to express the solidarity of the Central African people with the brotherly peoples of Morocco and Libya, hard hit by natural disasters that caused thousands of deaths and immeasurable material damage just days before the opening of our Session.

As I have argued on other occasions, the dramatic consequences of these natural disasters must alert the global scientific community to the urgent need to identify the regions of the world that are particularly vulnerable to extreme climate events, and to provide the States concerned with the necessary information in order to limit the damage.

Furthermore, the whole world has followed with deep dismay the massive arrival, in recent days, of thousands of African migrants on the island of Lampedusa, Italy.

These young people, who represent the present and the future of our continent, Africa, are desperately seeking to reach the countries of the European continent in search of an eldorado.

This escalation of the migrant crisis is one of the appalling consequences of the plundering of the natural resources of countries impoverished by slavery, colonization, Western imperialism, terrorism, and internal armed conflicts often fueled by hegemonic ambitions and geopolitical and geostrategic tensions among the world's major powers.

While deploring this dehumanizing phenomenon, I salute the solidarity and extraordinary efforts made by the host countries and the International Organization for Migration to provide assistance to these young people whose lives are endangered by traffickers and peddlers of illusions who have no faith or law.

However, my country believes that the UN must go beyond our shared commitment to reviving global solidarity by involving African countries in the search for comprehensive solutions to migration crises and the existential challenges facing the young people of the African continent.

Mr. President,

As our countries continue to face climate shocks, geopolitical tensions, and unprecedented financial, energy, and food challenges, new global challenges are emerging every day.

Today, in Africa as elsewhere, conflicts have broken out, symptomatic of the geopolitical and geostrategic tensions dividing the major powers.

In Sudan, an internal armed conflict of rare cruelty erupted in April 2023, just as the country was on the path to normalization, with a promising process of dialogue among all the living forces of the nation.

The Central African Republic has already registered 51,077 Sudanese and Chadian refugees in the Prefecture of Vakaga, thereby exposing our populations—resilient though they may be—to the risk of a worsening of the already precarious humanitarian and security situation.

I call for due consideration of the impact of this crisis on regional geopolitics, as well as for international solidarity with refugees.

And as we hold this Session, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict continues on the ground with no prospect of a peaceful settlement, while the consequences for the world are painful and regrettable.

Mr. President,

The persistence and multiplication of hotbeds of tension around the world raise questions about the effectiveness of certain UN mechanisms for the prevention and peaceful settlement of disputes, whose primary mission is to guarantee international peace and security.

That is why we strongly reaffirm the Common African Position on the reform of the UN Security Council, in order to increase the number of permanent and non-permanent members and to grant Africa a permanent seat—this would only be just.

The Central African Republic believes that it is urgent to redress these historical injustices suffered by Africa, in light of important agendas such as the Summit of the Future in 2024 and the 80th anniversary of the United Nations in 2025, which could be opportunities to unite member countries in taking concrete steps toward the said reform.

Mr. President,

The Central African Republic wonders: how can we accelerate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all, when certain States, from the height of their political, economic, and military power, constantly wield coercive diplomacy or instrumentalize international financial institutions to impose economic, financial, and trade blockades against countries impoverished by slavery, colonization, and imperialism?

Indeed, on 29 July 2023, the Central African people learned with great dismay of the renewal of the arms embargo, justified by truncated reports and statements of reasons, with a deceptive exemption for the national security forces.

The Central African Republic denounces before the entire world this cynical decision, which betrays the unspoken intention of the Council members who voted for it to instrumentalize sanctions regimes for purposes of political pressure, under the auspices of the UN.

I must recall, with regret, that the arms and diamond embargoes, renewed for the past 10 years, together with the suspension of budgetary support, constitute real obstacles to my country's achievement of the goals of the 2030 Agenda.

We reject this denial of our right to self-determination and to permanent sovereignty over our wealth and natural resources, as guaranteed by the relevant legal instruments of the United Nations.

I urge the Security Council to put an end to these subterfuges, which aim to mask the desire to perpetuate insecurity and control over the country's natural resources for the benefit of foreign powers, and which legitimize armed groups and grant them the status of subjects of international law.

Mr. President,

Our planet is burning; our planet is drowning; the world is collapsing; the world is weeping.

Yes, every day, the media report on natural disasters linked to climate disruption that resemble harbingers of the apocalypse.

Paradoxically, trust and solidarity among nations—the founding values of the United Nations—are fracturing further, thereby distancing the human community from achieving the noble sustainable development goals in favor of peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all, as set out in the 2030 Agenda.

And yet, in order to restore trust and revive solidarity in the face of devastating climate phenomena, commitments have been made by developed countries, the major polluters, from the Paris Agreement through those of Glasgow and Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt.

COP 27, in particular, usefully set four major objectives that we have all adopted, namely: mitigation, adaptation, financing, and a just transition, in order to address the common challenges facing humanity.

Unfortunately, many countries, including the Central African Republic—innocent victims of the dramatic consequences of the overexploitation of the planet by developed countries—do not benefit from the financing promises made.

Mr. President,

We fully appreciate the contribution of both bilateral and multilateral partners in their spirit of solidarity with Africa, our continent, and we thank them most sincerely.

However, we call for a more effective, evolving, and diversified partnership that respects the sovereignty of States and the cultural and moral values of all.

It is only in this way that we can rekindle the flame of friendship among peoples, promote peace and security, and create the conditions for equitable and inclusive development.

My country continues to advocate for inclusive multilateralism, for mutually accelerated growth, for a balanced world order, and for global disputes to be addressed with particular emphasis on international peace and security and respect for the sovereignty of each State.

I would like to take this opportunity to denounce all the disinformation and denigration campaigns conducted by certain Western media against the Central African Republic.

I reaffirm here my country's determination to diversify its international cooperation with all countries that so wish, solely in the vital interests of its people, and to avoid being drawn into competition among world powers.

Mr. President,

By adopting, through referendum on 30 July last, the new Constitution of the Central African Republic, with an overwhelming majority of 95.30% and a turnout of more than 57%, the Central African people have just reaffirmed their attachment to the purposes and principles set forth in the UN Charter, their inalienable right to respect for their sovereignty, to self-determination, to the stability of institutions, to peace, to security, to national unity, and to development.

In order to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals in favor of peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all, the Government continues to implement the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation and the Luanda Joint Roadmap, and is working to strengthen the commitment of all stakeholders.

As part of the implementation of these peace and national security instruments, nine armed groups have already been disbanded.

At the same time, the Special Criminal Court and the ordinary courts continue, in full independence, the fight against impunity.

I would like to recall that, beyond the Constitution, our national decentralization policy is both a deep aspiration of the Central African people and an essential component of the Peace Agreement and the Luanda Joint Roadmap.

I would like to highlight all the efforts already undertaken by the National Elections Authority, with the support of international technical assistance, which have enabled us to reassess the electoral calendar, which now provides for local elections to be held in October 2024.

For us, this is a fundamental step in our progress toward the local anchoring of democracy, the promotion of participatory governance, and local development.

It is for this reason that we want these local elections to be inclusive, transparent, peaceful, and credible.

I urge all our partners to support the Government in completing the electoral process, which has gotten off to such a good start.

I wish our work every success and thank you for your kind attention.