Remarks by Ambassador Geng Shuang at the UN Security Council Briefing on the Central African Region |
2022-10-20 00:00 |
Mr. President I thank SRSG Valentine Rugwabiza for her briefing. I welcome the presence of the Foreign Minister of Central African Republic (CAR) Sylvie Baïpo Témon and the representative of Rwanda. CAR's political and security situation is improving on the whole, and the peace process is moving ahead. Yet many difficulties and challenges remain. The international community should scale up its support in the following areas. First, accelerating the implementation of the peace agreement. China is pleased to see that the government has been actively implementing the outcomes of the Republican Dialogue, showing a positive attitude in dialogue with armed groups, promoting comprehensive disarmament, and striving to revitalize the peace process. We appreciate the positive role played by Angola, Rwanda, and other countries in the region. And we support the efforts of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) to strengthen communication and coordination with the CAR government and jointly implement the Joint Roadmap for Peace in light of the priorities and needs of the country. While helping the peace process, the international community must respect the sovereignty and ownership of the CAR and support its people by independently choosing the development path that suits its national conditions. Second, strengthening security capacity building. Recently, with the government's active deployment of security forces, the security situation throughout the country has seen continuous improvement, and the scope of activities of armed groups continues to shrink. Facts have shown that only by establishing a professional, efficient, and strong security sector can it be possible to deal with security threats. President Faustin-Archange Touadéra has recently endorsed the new national security policy and the draft national security sector reform strategy. The international partners and MINUSCA should provide constructive support for implementing this policy and strategy, help the country improve its capability to maintain stability independently, and respect its right to engage in security cooperation. Sanctions imposed by the Security Council still impact the country's security capabilities and should therefore be lifted entirely. Third, enhancing efforts for peacebuilding. The CAR is facing serious financial constraints, energy and food shortages, as well as challenging economic and livelihood situations. 60% of its population needs humanitarian assistance. Local elections and the DDR process also require massive financial resources. Current peace in the country is gained though hard efforts, and the international community's support cannot relax. Relevant countries and international organizations should resume aid as soon as possible to help the government address its economic and humanitarian difficulties. The international community should increase investment in CAR development, help enhance endogenous development momentum, turn the resource endowments into development advantages and break the vicious cycle whereby poverty begets instability, and instability sends people back to poverty. Mr. President, Under the leadership of the SRSG Valentine Rugwabiza, MINUSCA has strengthened communication and coordination with the CAR government and actively responded to security threats. The implementation of the Status of Forces Agreement continues to improve, and the MINUSCA has made positive progress in successfully discharging its duties with practices worthy of replication. we will continue to support the work of the MINUSCA and the SRSG Valentine Rugwabiza and hope they will play more significant role in promoting the peace process in the country. I thank you, Mr. President. |