76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
UNGA High-Level meeting on Sudan
Delivered by DPR Andre Lipand
September 30, New York
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I join others in thanking Norway and the United Nations for co-organizing today’s important event. I also warmly welcome the participation of Prime Minister Hamdok.
Two years ago during the High-level week of the General Assembly, Prime Minister Hamdok introduced his government’s ambitious goals to bring peace to the country, lead a successful transition to democracy, and recover the economy. Sudan has made great strides to reach these goals, despite multiple challenges, including the COVID pandemic and the recent coup attempt. While a lot of work still lies ahead, we commend the remarkable progress achieved so far.
Now the focus must be on how to stay on course to fully achieve peace, democracy and prosperity. We encourage the Transitional Government to build on the progress, and continue to work towards reaching the key milestones, including democratic elections and a peaceful transfer of power, as set out in the Constitutional Declaration and Juba Peace Agreement. We hope that the transitional authorities will show the world, how this particular unique civilian-military model, can prove successful by ushering in a democratic, peaceful and prosperous era for Sudan.
It is clear that sustainable peace and a healthy democracy cannot be achieved without meaningful participation of women. Therefore, we call the transitional Government, to re-double its efforts to make women’s full, equal and meaningful participation, in particular in decision-making bodies, a reality.
The international community must spare no effort in supporting the aspirations of Sudanese people. Estonia, as a member of the United Nations Security Council, is determined to support Sudan in its historic transition, and, of course, our door will remain open to Sudan beyond our Council membership.
To conclude, Estonia commends the progress that Sudan has made, fully acknowledging the difficult road that lies ahead. However, let me emphasize that Sudan will not have to walk this path alone, as the international community stands firmly behind Sudan’s historic transition. Estonia fully supports the Sudanese people’s aspirations towards democracy, peace and prosperity.
Thank you.
