13 December 2024
Madam President,
We thank Special Representative of the Secretary General Abdou Abarry for his briefing. We have closely listened to Ms. Daniele Nlate.
Russia supports the activities of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) aimed at strengthening peace and security in the subregion. We note the mediation work of the Office done through direct contacts with conflicting parties. It is important that this work is also carried out in coordination with regional mechanisms and associations. We believe that UNOCA is an important instrument of international preventive diplomacy.
The challenges facing the countries of the subregion are complex in nature. We attach particular importance to regional efforts made to come up with harmonized approaches to countering terrorism. We are concerned by the remaining destructive potential of Boko Haram and by the activities of groups affiliated with ISIL in the region. We note the effectiveness of the actions by African States within the framework of the Regional Multinational Joint Task Force. We advocate providing them with predictable funding and assistance from the international community.
We are concerned about the continuation of violence in the north-west and south-west of Cameroon. We advocate the search for a political formula to resolve the contradictions in the regions affected by the armed conflict.
We welcome the progress made in the Gabonese transition process. We note the commitment of the transitional authorities to ensuring the return to constitutional rule within the agreed time frame. We congratulate the Gabonese on adopting the new Constitution. We support the focus on the reinstatement of Libreville’s membership in the African Union.
We note with satisfaction the progressive stabilization of the situation in the Central African Republic. With the support of our bilateral partners, including Russia, as well as MINUSCA, Bangui has managed to overcome the most difficult phase of the fight against criminal gangs.
We welcome the adoption of Security Council resolution 2745 back in July, which completely lifted the sanctions against the Government of the Central African Republic. Given the momentum “on the ground”, this decision, was long overdue. We also congratulate our Central African friends on lifting export restrictions under the Kimberley Process. We hope that this timely step will help advance the country’s development and consolidate its economic sovereignty.
We welcome the strengthening of the official dialogue between the CAR and Chad on border interaction. We advocate the intensification of joint efforts between the two countries to eradicate cross-border challenges and threats.
We are seriously concerned about the difficult humanitarian situation in the region. The number of refugees, internally displaced persons and those in need of some form of humanitarian assistance remain large. The situation is exacerbated due to the crisis in the Sudan. We advocate the increase of targeted support to the States of Central Africa.
We align ourselves with the Secretary-General’s call for reform of international financial institutions and a comprehensive restructuring of external public debt. This issue is of particular importance to the Central African region, whose countries have to spend the lion’s share of national resources on servicing their international loans.
We do not support the coupling of climate change with peace and security issues, and object to advancing this subject as an agenda item for the Security Council, which is being actively promoted by a number of delegations and their associates within the United Nations. We believe that it is specialized UN funds and programs that are to assist in adapting to and overcoming the consequences of climate change. The Security Council has its own mandate, and the number of tasks assigned to the Council is unfortunately constantly increasing.
Russia will continue to support the UN agencies working in the subregion and is ready to provide the necessary assistance to the States through bilateral channels.
Thank you.