Central African Republic

Madam President of the General Assembly,

Majesties, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen Heads of State and Government,

Mr. Secretary-General of the United Nations,

Distinguished delegates,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is with a profound sense of responsibility that I take the floor, on behalf of the Central African people, as our Organization celebrates its eightieth (80th) anniversary.

This anniversary reminds us of a simple truth: our destinies are linked.

Humanity is one and indivisible. Our peoples can only prosper if peace is assured, if development is shared, and if human dignity is guaranteed for all.

Eighty years after the founding of the UN, the world faces an unprecedented accumulation of threats: persistent wars, geopolitical rivalries, the rise of terrorism and organized crime, and an unprecedented climate, humanitarian, and food crisis.

Never since the Cold War have we seen such fragility.

In Europe, the war in Ukraine continues to cause immense human suffering and to undermine global stability.

In the Middle East, the persistent violence between Israel and Palestine plunges entire generations into pain and compromises hopes for peaceful coexistence.

In Africa, the crises in Sudan, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Sahel, and the Horn of Africa remind us of the fragility of the balances at stake and the urgent need for greater support for the prevention and peaceful resolution of disputes.

Faced with these dramatic situations, the Central African Republic proposes strengthening the UN's preventive diplomacy mechanisms, by creating a Global Conflict Prevention Fund financed by the major powers and managed transparently.

This fund should make it possible to finance, from the very first signs of crisis, good offices missions, international mediation, and the deployment of rapid, credible peacekeeping forces.

Likewise, we must systematize the creation of regional coalitions of mediators capable of acting in complement to the United Nations, to prevent local disputes from turning into open wars.

Madam President,

If we want to measure the gravity of the moment, let us look particularly at Africa.

In 2025, more than 40% of the world's armed conflicts are taking place on this continent.

The Sahel alone accounts for thousands of victims every year and millions of displaced persons.

A single figure suffices to sum up the urgency: in certain African regions, one child in two lives in an area affected by conflict.

How can we speak of the future when half a generation is threatened by war?

For the Central African Republic, we know that our stability determines that of all of Central Africa.

We also know that peace is never a given, but must always be built with patience and solidarity.

To mitigate the harmful effects of climate change, we call for an integrated African food and climate security mechanism, supported by the UN, to reduce the link between resource scarcity and conflict.

We call for structural and sustainable financing of peace operations in Africa, based on mandatory contributions rather than voluntary ones.

We affirm that peace must be inclusive, guaranteeing the participation of women and young people. Without security, there is neither prosperity nor effective human rights.

In the face of the conflicts and humanitarian crises that have severely tested our world, we must collectively recall the normative force of the United Nations Charter, that founding text which, in 1945, carried the hope of a world freed from the scourge of war.

But today, 80 years later, the question arises: is the UN still capable of fulfilling this mission?

The proliferation of conflicts, the fragmentation of the world into antagonistic blocs, the abusive use of the right of veto, and the paralysis of the Security Council give us the impression of an Organization that is out of breath.

And yet, it is not the UN that is tired: it is the member states which, lacking political will, are blocking its action.

Yes, Madam President, the UN can still carry weight in the concert of nations, but on one condition: that we, its members, choose consensus over division, unity over deadlock.

I salute and encourage the continuing efforts of the international community to promote peaceful outcomes to the various conflicts.

For every passing day prolongs the agony of the innocent and weakens world peace.

In Africa, notably in Sudan, unresolved conflicts are tearing apart a brotherly people and risk turning our continent into a mosaic of fragmented states, unable to ensure stability or meet the needs of their citizens.

This prospect is unacceptable. Africa calls for urgent mobilization, not to further militarize our territories, but to invest in peace, mediation, and inclusive dialogue.

That is why my country supports the QUAD Declaration, initiated by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America, concerning the restoration of peace and security in Sudan.

In my own country, the Central African Republic, we have chosen the path of dialogue.

The policy of the outstretched hand has enabled, through reconciliation and restored trust, the self-dissolution of nearly all armed groups.

This choice was not the easiest one: it would have been simpler to give in to the logic of arms, but we preferred the audacity of forgiveness, the patience of dialogue, and the strength of consensus.

Our experience shows that it is possible to replace the cycle of hatred with a dynamic of lasting peace.

The Central African Republic, once considered a theater of violence, is today an example that it is possible to extend one's hand and receive in return not war, but peace.

Thanks to the peace we have regained, we are today calmly preparing for the general elections of December 2025, which we want to be democratic, inclusive, and transparent, to consolidate the country's democratic anchoring begun since 2016.

We propose that this model be studied and reinforced as a good African practice within the framework of the United Nations and the African Union.

This good practice requires courageous political action: reforming the UN, reforming the global financial architecture, creating a global prevention fund, strengthening the role of regional organizations, mobilizing the major powers not to divide but to unite.

The Central African Republic, strengthened by its experience, stands ready to contribute its experience to this vast undertaking to build a world order founded on justice, human dignity, and respect for international law.

But peace cannot be enough without development. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development remains our shared course.

We are working to reduce poverty, strengthen food security, promote education and health as levers of dignity, and undertake reforms for inclusive, job-creating growth that respects the environment.

The Central African Republic comes today to affirm a simple conviction: sustainable development and international cooperation are the keys to world peace.

In a world where crises follow and intertwine with one another, no country can meet the challenges of the century alone.

We need active solidarity. We need truly shared prosperity. We need a surge of humanity.

For this surge of humanity, allow me, Madam President, to deliver three (3) simple but essential messages:

First, inclusive development is a weapon of prevention. Where there is exclusion, poverty, and injustice, anger takes root, resentment accumulates, and conflicts erupt.

But where investment is made in education, health, and employment, the seeds of peace grow.

An open school is not just benches filled with students, it is a society that chooses the future over violence.

A job created is not just an income, it is preserved dignity and a family that believes in peace once again.

Second, international cooperation is vital. Our challenges ignore borders. Climate, pandemics, migration, markets: all of this exceeds the capacities of any single state.

No wall, no closed port, no barrier offers lasting protection against a storm, a virus, or migratory despair. The only protection is collective action, is multilateralism.

Third, sustainable development is also a moral debt to our children.

Will we leave them a depleted planet, an ecological and social debt that will condemn them even before they begin their adult lives?

Or will we hand them a fairer, greener, more dignified world? This choice can no longer wait.

Madam President,

For a fairer world, the Central African Republic wishes today to chart paths for the future, sharing three avenues that are not mere technical proposals, but civilizational choices.

First, we must imagine a global initiative for the reconstruction of fragile states. For a world that leaves some of its members broken cannot claim to achieve universal peace.

Nations wounded by conflict must no longer be left alone to bind their wounds. They need an international community that lifts them up, accompanies them, and restores their confidence.

Investing in institutional reconstruction means refusing the endless cycle of war and despair.

To this institutional reconstruction must then be added a strong commitment to our planet.

That is why we call for a United Nations Pact for the protection of critical ecosystems, a pact that links climate, biodiversity, and human rights.

Destroying a forest is not just cutting down trees, it is erasing cultures, threatening lives, and preparing tomorrow's crises. Protecting nature means protecting peace.

Finally, it is time to dream big for Africa. That is the meaning of the idea of a Green Development Corridor in Central Africa, combining modern infrastructure, clean energy, and regional integration.

From Bangui to Kinshasa, from Douala to Libreville, this corridor would be a link between our peoples and a promise of the future for all of humanity.

For Africa is not a continent to be assisted, it is a continent to be revealed. It expects neither charity nor compassion, but fair and courageous partnerships.

The era of Africa's dependency is over. Africa's role in the concert of Nations must be respected: sovereignty, not subordination; partnership, not exploitation.

It is unacceptable to see poverty worsening in Africa while wealth accumulates in the countries of the North.

It is time for the injustices done to Africa to be redressed. That is why the Central African Republic supports the pan-African initiative on reparations, as well as the continent's efforts to establish respectful and equitable dialogue with partners.

In this vein, my country supports the global governance initiative launched on 1 September 2025 by China, which continues the global initiatives for development, security, and civilization, emphasizing the building of a fairer and more equitable system of international governance.

Madam President,

We all agree on the principle of sustainable development.

But two obstacles remain: financing and the distribution of responsibilities between North and South.

On these two points, it is time to speak plainly. Everyone must do their part, according to their means and their historical responsibilities. For solidarity is not a moral option: it is a political obligation.

This political obligation implies that sustainable development is the very condition of our common future.

The Central African Republic, despite its modest means but strengthened by unwavering political will, takes its full place in this collective struggle.

We know that we are vulnerable. But we also know that our vulnerability gives us a unique voice: one that reminds the world that peace, justice, and solidarity are not distant promises, but urgent choices, here and now.

On this 80th anniversary, the Central African Republic reaffirms its unwavering attachment to the values embodied by the UN.

But it stresses that these values cannot be guaranteed without a profound reform of the multilateral system, and in particular of the United Nations Security Council, whose current composition has become anachronistic and illegitimate.

Eighty years ago, when the United Nations was born, Africa was not free. Most of our countries still lived under colonial rule. Our voice did not count.

Today, Africa has one billion four hundred million inhabitants. In thirty years, it will be two billion five hundred million. One human being in four will be African.

Africa will be the youngest and most decisive continent of the century.

And yet, not a single permanent seat on the Security Council belongs to Africa. Not one.

How can we speak of international security and justice when the continent of tomorrow is treated as that of yesterday?

The Central African Republic carries here the voice of Africa to say: enough!

Africa must have two permanent seats with veto rights, not as a favor but as a matter of justice, not as a privilege but as a necessity.

We also propose the creation of a Global Charter for digital governance and ethical artificial intelligence, so that human rights are protected in the digital space.

We call for the establishment of a global index of equity and democratic resilience, complementary to GDP, to measure dignity, justice, and inclusion.

My country is already acting at its own level. We have validated our third report on Resolution 1325 "Women, Peace and Security." We have updated our Beijing+30 monitoring plan.

We are strengthening our national accountability mechanisms to place women, young people, and the most vulnerable at the heart of public policy.

On this eightieth anniversary of the UN, let us recall the vision of its founders: to replace the force of the powerful with the force of law, and to build a future of dignity for all.

Thank you.