Niger

Mr. President, Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, Ladies and gentlemen Heads of Delegation, Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like first of all to extend my warmest congratulations to Mr. PHILEMON YANG on his election to the presidency of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

I would also like to take this opportunity to express to his predecessor, Mr. DENNIS FRANCIS of Trinidad and Tobago, my heartfelt thanks for the remarkable work accomplished during his mandate, despite a global context in the midst of upheaval.

Mr. President,

A year ago, from this very podium, my country was unjustifiably denied the floor, while others in the same situation were allowed to speak and, moreover, were received with honors by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. This double-standard policy is liable to undermine the credibility of our common Organization.

My country takes the opportunity of this session to speak out on the situation of those left behind and on human dignity. These issues, which align perfectly with the ideals of our refoundation, stem from multifaceted conflicts and violence, inequalities, a deficit of solidarity, and the marginalization of a large part of the population of our planet, who aspire to a better world.

In this regard, I wish to welcome the participation in this session of Palestine, one of those left behind. We hope that its long-deserved presence among us constitutes a decisive step toward the establishment of a free, independent, and sovereign Palestinian State, living in peace with its neighbors and within its 1967 borders. Niger reaffirms its support for the Palestinian cause and believes that only a two-State solution can put an end to the cycle of violence and guarantee peace and security in the region.

My country also deplores the situation in Lebanon and calls for an immediate halt to hostilities.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Every year we engage in the ritual of lamenting the situation of poor countries and pleading for a more equitable world. But we must acknowledge that we meet too much and act too little.

Poor countries are "watching the clock," not to say sinking deeper into hardship; the rich fill their pockets with our resources, continue to support corrupt and subservient regimes that rig elections, seize power, and plunge their peoples into utter misery. Meanwhile, the international community remains locked in a complicit silence that once again reflects a policy of double standards.

In this context, what then does the Pact for the Future that we have just adopted represent? A pious wish? A new diversion? Or mere eyewash for poor countries?

In Niger, we no longer have any illusions; our conviction is firm. Rich countries have no intention of helping those in the South escape poverty.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The United Nations Charter will soon be 80 years old, and to date, no significant reform has been undertaken to bring our common Organization into line with the new global realities.

The Security Council, guarantor of peace and security in the world, continues to be the exclusive preserve of the five permanent members who, despite their repeated professions of faith at every session, maintain the status quo and refuse to grant permanent seats to Africa, the only continent without one. Everything seems to indicate that democracy, so widely championed as a universal value, stops at the doors of the Security Council.

Let us stop counting on the great world powers to translate into reality this demand for justice and equity, and this strong will of the peoples to expand the Security Council to include new members. Let us give ourselves the means to impose this demand.

Woe to those left behind who are unable to assert their dignity.

Ladies and gentlemen,

From this podium, I issue a heartfelt appeal to exploited and forsaken peoples to tell them that it is not for wealthy countries to find solutions for us. I affirm that these solutions lie within us. They consist in renouncing begging and demeaning aid, in favor of a dignified partnership in which our natural resources will be paid at their fair price and the proceeds invested for the benefit of our populations.

It is in this spirit that my country is managing, with its own funds, the damage and humanitarian crisis arising from the unprecedented floods it has suffered this year.

We do not need lessons in democracy. What matters are the interests, choices, and aspirations of our valiant peoples.

As stated by the President of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), Head of State, His Excellency Brigadier General ABDOURAHAMANE TIANI: "No State, no interstate organization will dictate to my country the conduct to follow, still less its agenda in matters of strategic or diplomatic partnership."

Ladies and gentlemen,

As you know, the Sahel region has for more than a decade been gripped by a serious security crisis that threatens the very existence of its States and constitutes a notorious breach of international peace and security.

In an effort to jointly confront the common challenges besetting them, particularly security challenges, the three States, under the leadership of Their Excellencies Captain IBRAHIM TRAORE, President of Faso; Colonel ASSIMI GOITA, President of the Transition, Head of State of Mali; and Brigadier General ABDOURAHAMANE TIANI, President of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, Head of State of Niger, signed on September 16, 2023, the Liptako-Gourma Charter establishing the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

Today, we must acknowledge the strong support of the populations as well as the military successes achieved on the ground by the AES Defense and Security Forces in the fight against terrorism and transnational crime.

This is an opportunity to commend the creation of the AES Unified Force and the good coordination among the units put in place.

I pay heartfelt tribute to all civilian and military victims of violence in the Sahel.

Ladies and gentlemen,

On the occasion of the historic Summit of AES Heads of State held in Niamey on July 6, 2024, the Alliance was transformed into a Confederation resting on three pillars (the 3 D's), namely Defense/Security, Diplomacy, and Development.

This new strategic integration framework, intended to eventually become a Federation, has strong potential in natural resources to achieve its objectives. This potential is coveted by certain Western powers that finance and arm terrorist groups in order to destabilize our countries.

Niger reiterates its firm condemnation of these hostile acts and rejects any form of support for terrorism, notably the active and publicly claimed support by Ukraine for the terrorist coalition that cowardly attacked the town of Tinzawaten in Mali.

This is also the place to denounce the subversive actions and the new strategy of recolonization claimed and assumed by France, which provides intelligence, training, financing, and arms to terrorist groups in the Sahel. It offers shelter and cover to its local henchmen, some of whom occupy Niger's diplomatic premises in Paris in flagrant violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Far from breaking the momentum currently underway in the Sahelian space, these attempts at destabilization only strengthen our countries' determination to move forward in pursuit of the objectives set.

Despite all these adversities, the AES caravan moves on!

Mr. President,

The Confederation of Sahel States (AES) now constitutes a new geopolitical reality, which intends to play its full role on the international stage, in keeping with the sovereignty and free choice of its partners. As stated by His Excellency Colonel ASSIMI GOITA, President of the AES Confederation, on the occasion of the Alliance's first anniversary:

"In our momentum of regained independence and sovereignty, we remain open to cooperation with brotherly and friendly peoples, in a spirit of fraternity and mutual respect."

Ladies and gentlemen,

At the national level, the inclusive Vision of the President of the CNSP, Head of State, Brigadier General ABDOURAHAMANE TIANI, is structured around the following four strategic pillars:

1. Strengthening security and social cohesion;
2. Promoting good governance;
3. Developing production bases; and
4. Accelerating social reforms.

These pillars aim to ensure the security, political, and socio-economic sovereignty of our country. In this regard, they constitute the reference framework for all interventions by the State and its partners to create the conditions for the structural transformation of Niger's economy and the improvement of the population's well-being.

To support this transformation, particularly in the mining and oil sectors, my country is prepared to enter into partnerships with foreign investors on the basis of the win-win principle and respect for the dignity of our populations, who have until now been left behind.

The objective is to make the Sahel a zone of peace and prosperity, as President Tiani has affirmed.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I cannot conclude my remarks without thanking the brotherly and friendly countries — Burkina Faso, Mali, Togo, Morocco, Turkey, Russia, China, Iran — and all those who are supporting Niger in its process of refoundation.

• Long live solidarity among peoples,
• Long live the AES Confederation!

Thank you!