Mr. President,
Thank you for convening today’s meeting and I’d also like to express my gratitude to the speakers, for their valuable insights.
In particular, I would like to commend the actions of MINUSCA, which has shown great determination in implementing its mandate despite the Covid-19 pandemic. I was particularly impressed to hear that thanks to the efforts of MINUSCA, voter registration has taken place in several areas where it would have otherwise been obstructed by armed groups. The upcoming elections will be a crucial opportunity to consolidate the country’s democratic foundations for lasting peace. The future government of Central African Republic will be met with high expectations from its people. Moreover, with half of all registered voters being women, it should be evident that the country can only benefit from the full and meaningful participation of women in political and peace processes.
Next, I would like to commend the work done to extend state authority and services in the country. The expansion of national DDR operations and the appointment of new judges and magistrates are encouraging steps. So is the promulgation of the child protection code, which criminalizes the recruitment and use of children by armed forces. Further, we look forward to the operationalization of the Commission on Truth, Justice, Reparation and Reconciliation.
Mr. President,
Alongside many positive developments, violence and the abuse of human rights in Central African Republic continues. Distressingly, there has been a marked increase in attacks against humanitarian aid providers. Attacks on civilians and the abuse of human rights are direct violations of the peace agreement and as such are unacceptable. The vast majority of these attacks have been attributed to signatory armed groups, in particular MPC and 3R. In this light, we continue to support the call of the Secretary General “to take a firm, unequivocal stance regarding the application of sanctions under article 35 of the Agreement” and I would like to further recall that attacks against UN peacekeepers may amount to a war crime.
Mr. President, I would like to end my statement by stressing what many have already expressed here today: full implementation of the Political Peace and Reconciliation Agreement is the only path towards lasting peace in the Central African Republic.
Thank you Mr. President.