76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
UN Security Council high-level debate on the Great Lakes Region
Statement by Ambassador Sven Jürgenson
October 28, New York
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I thank Kenya for hosting today’s debate and I appreciate Kenyan commitment to deal with this topic as a high priority. I also thank the briefers for their presentations and I welcome regional countries for joining us today.
We are well aware that the root causes and endemic conflicts in the Great Lakes Region are multiple and complex. For over two decades, the insecurity, most notably in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, is one of the destabilizing factors in the region that is characterized by day-to-day attacks and killings of civilians by various negative forces. We regret to note that another prominent feature of the conflict, behaviour unworthy of human beings, is the conflict-related sexual violence, accompanied by the grave violations against women and children. The ongoing conflict in turn has left the population of the region at critical level of food insecurity and in dire humanitarian situation. It is unconceivable that about 15 million people in the region are subjected to forced displacement. This should not happen to the populations in our times.
The illegal exploitation of natural resources that is the focus of today´s debate is a longstanding driver of insecurity and conflict in the region. We need to ensure that these resources serve the well-being of the population of the region.
In this respect, I would like to highlight three principal areas that are fundamental to address this driver of the conflict.
First, we are confident that successful regional cooperation is an essential tool to consolidate greater control over “conflict minerals” and mining sites. We welcome the efforts by the countries of the region to strengthen their common dialogue and regional cooperation in the fight against illegal exploitation and illicit trade in natural resources. In this regard, we encourage the countries of the region to facilitate the implementation of the common regional initiatives in this area, most notably with regard to the implementation of regional database on mineral flows, the Regional Certification Mechanism and the harmonisation of regional regulations. We also believe that there are great opportunities for women and youth to be involved in the mining sector that would offer them an alternative from being involved in the armed conflict.
Second, we are of the view that strengthening of the national disarmament, demobilisation and stabilisation programme would provide prospects for disrupting of weapons supply to armed groups. It is particularly important to ensure sustainable and transparent management of national stocks of weapons and ammunition to prevent them from falling into the hands of negative forces. In this connection, we commend the efforts of signatory countries in establishing the Contact and Coordination Group and commitments to implement its Action Plan that would allow reducing threats posed by negative forces. We likewise appreciate the important role of MONUSCO in providing its good offices, strategic and technical advice.
Third, we underline the important role of investigative authorities and courts of the region in addressing the accountability for illegal exploitation of natural resources. Accordingly, we encourage the countries of the region to fight against impunity for serious crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations and abuses. We are confident that the implementation of the Nairobi Declaration on Justice and Good Governance would set the right path and increase the confidence of the population in the justice system and the rule of law.
Finally, I thank the Special Envoy for your tireless efforts in contributing to the implementation of the regional strategy, and unwavering support to the signatory countries in addressing the root causes of the conflict.