Comoros

Excellency, Mr. President of the General Assembly, Majesties, Highnesses, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen Heads of Delegation, Ladies and Gentlemen, Assalam Alaykum!

I have the honour to convey to you the warm greetings of His Excellency Mr. AZALI Assoumani, President of the Union of the Comoros, as well as his wishes for full success in the conduct of this work of global importance.

Allow me, first of all, to express to the American authorities, on behalf of the Comorian delegation, our sincere thanks for the warm welcome extended to us in New York, as part of our participation in this seventy-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly.

I would then like to extend my warm congratulations to His Excellency Mr. Philémon Yang, on his brilliant election to the presidency of this 79th ordinary session of the General Assembly, and to tell him how honoured we feel, as Africans, by this presidency.

I also pay well-deserved tribute to His Excellency Mr. Dennis Francis, for his wise leadership and his commitment to peace and development, during his presidency of the seventy-eighth session, whose work he directed perfectly.

Lastly, on behalf of my country, I extend all our thanks to His Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, for his dedication to the service of peace and development.

Mr. President,

This 79th session of the UN General Assembly opens once again at a particularly delicate moment in the life of the international community.

Since 22 February 2022, the war in Ukraine has continued to ravage two great European countries, endangering the balance of the world.

On behalf of the Union of the Comoros, I implore the Russian and Ukrainian leaders to take the path of dialogue and negotiation. I ask this of them for the sake of their peoples, for the mark they will leave in history, but also because a ceasefire, first, and peace thereafter, are the indispensable conditions for economic, social and food relief for the entire world and, in particular, for Africa, which suffers so greatly from this conflict.

Speaking of Palestine, given the realities experienced daily, there is no doubt that we are not dealing with a logic of legitimate self-defence. This war, marked by a disproportion of forces, targeting a majority of innocents, is nothing other than a genocide perpetrated by Israeli forces in Gaza, which we must condemn and which must urgently be brought to an end.

The suffering endured by the Palestinian people is reflected to this day in the deaths of more than forty thousand people, including innocent women and children, more than one hundred thousand wounded, the forced displacement of thousands of people under inhumane conditions, and the systematic destruction of hospitals and social housing.

The Union of the Comoros, while reiterating its full solidarity and unwavering support for the brotherly people of Palestine, issues an urgent appeal to the international community to act for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for a rapid resumption of the delivery of humanitarian aid.

We also call for a just and lasting solution, based on international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions. We urge, in particular, the international community to work rapidly towards a two-State solution, with a sovereign Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side and in complete security with Israel. We welcome the admission of the State of Palestine as a full Member of the United Nations, and its participation in the work of the United Nations, beginning with this session.

I would also recall, because there is too great a tendency to forget it, that the situation is also very serious in the West Bank. And, as Cardinal Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, points out, what is happening there "is a palpable and concrete example of how hatred, resentment, and contempt have led to increasingly extreme forms of violence that are increasingly difficult to contain."

The situation in Sudan also commands our full attention. We call on both parties to the conflict to exercise restraint, in order to spare the populations from the horrors of this war which, between brothers, has already lasted far too long!

With regard to Western Sahara, the Union of the Comoros believes that the autonomy plan for this territory within the Sherifian Kingdom, presented as early as 2007 by the Moroccan authorities, constitutes the surest means of achieving a lasting settlement of an anachronistic conflict, the perpetuation of which would run counter to the very interests of the populations concerned and to the economic development of the entire region. My country therefore calls on the parties involved to adhere to it and urges the international community to lend them its support.

I would also like to stress that law and openness to dialogue must prevail in addressing problems, and especially political ones. The same holds true with regard to respect for the territorial integrity of States. Thus, with respect to the question of the Comorian island of Mayotte, I would like to recall that Comorian unity is a reality founded on ethno-geographic, linguistic, religious and economic factors, despite the island nature of the country. To this is added the country's attachment to the sacrosanct principles of international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions, which recognize the sovereignty of the Comoros over the island of Mayotte.

I therefore take this opportunity, speaking from this United Nations podium, the symbol of multilateralism par excellence, to reaffirm the constancy of the Comorian Government in its determination to respect the law and its openness to dialogue regarding this dispute between the Union of the Comoros and France, in order to reach a just and lasting solution capable of preserving the shared interests between our two friendly countries.

Mr. President,

The Union of the Comoros reiterates its adherence to the Declaration adopted by the Summit of the Future, held on 22 September, on the margins of the work of this Assembly.

We advocate for genuine international cooperation, in order to establish guidelines leading to legal instruments guaranteeing the development and equitable use of artificial intelligence, conducive to the growth of development, productivity and knowledge throughout the world.

This Declaration opens, among other things, promising prospects for taking into account the specific problems of Small Island Developing States. In this regard, the SIDS4 Conference held last May in Antigua and Barbuda also marked new progress in this universal awareness.

It is also because we call for strict compliance with the Paris Agreement and for substantial financial and technical support that we look forward, with great interest, to the next Conference on Financing for Development, scheduled to be held in Spain in 2025.

This conference will provide an opportunity for the States of the South to advocate for reforms of multilateral development banks and institutions and to obtain, for the benefit of our countries, a predictable framework of sustainable, accessible and predictable resources.

To ensure the success of this event, I hope that the countries directly concerned will not delay in meeting together to work on formulating their proposals.

Mr. President,

Peace and political stability are the two essential pillars that must underpin all development action.

Thus, following the elections of 14 January 2024, which returned His Excellency Mr. AZALI Assoumani to the highest office of the country, he set about pursuing the noble mission of accelerating the emergence of the Comoros by 2030.

The Head of State's commitment to accelerating the country's emergence is reflected in the implementation of flagship projects contained in the Emerging Comoros Plan, presented at the Conference of Development Partners of the Comoros, held in Paris in December 2019.

The Emerging Comoros Plan also includes structuring projects, including the Blue Economy development programme, a highly promising sector that constitutes one of the drivers of economic and social transformation.

Aware of the crucial role of the blue economy and mindful of the particular nature of island States, my country organized in Moroni in June 2023, under the Comorian presidency of the African Union, and with the support of certain partners, the Conference of Ministers on the Blue Economy and Climate Action, under the theme: "Island States at the forefront." This conference was attended by all island and coastal States of Africa.

The Moroni Declaration, adopted at the conclusion of this conference, sets out, among other things, the elements of the roadmap to be implemented, with a view to the international community taking into account the particular nature and vulnerability of these States.

The upcoming Ocean Conference will give us the opportunity to present the Moroni Declaration, whose commitments converge with global sustainable development goals.

Mr. President,

The Comorian Government pays particular attention to youth. Several initiatives are underway to develop youth entrepreneurship, ensure better employment opportunities in various sectors, and enable young people to play a leading role in the country's socio-economic development. The promulgation of the "ONE YOUTH – ONE JOB" law reflects this determination.

The Head of State of the Union of the Comoros's commitment to the fulfilment of youth, as well as the trust he places in this segment of the population to drive new momentum as a driving force of the country, led him, only a few months ago, to appoint a Government made up predominantly of young executives. He has thus wagered on engaging young people in the country's transformation for the renewal of the Comoros.

Beyond these key areas, the Head of State has also included sport, culture, art and heritage in his five-year agenda, thereby marking his interest in these social dimensions that help to properly shape and strengthen our national identity.

Thus, with regard to sport, on behalf of the President of the Union of the Comoros and his Government, I pay heartfelt tribute to our national team, the Coelacanths, for the performances they have increasingly achieved on the continent, to the great pride of the Comorian people.

Mr. President,

The challenges facing today's world are numerous and call for combined action on the part of all of us to address them.

Each session bringing together this Assembly is a hope for peoples to see changes emerge in all that causes their anxieties and apprehensions.

In the name of the noble values that unite us, let us work to transform these anxieties into relief and these apprehensions into hope, and above all into the fulfilment of the aspirations of our respective peoples.

Thank you for your kind attention.