Madam President, 

I thank Assistant Secretary-General Pobee and ECCAS President Verissimo for their briefings. I also listened attentively to the presentation by Ms. Nlate. In connection with the Secretary-General’s report, I would like to make the following three points.

First, maintaining the general situation of peace and stability. This year, the security situation in the Central African Republic has continued to improve with President Faustin-Archange Touadéra holding the republican dialogue and reaching a wide range of results. The Government of Cameroon has actively implemented the outcomes of national dialogue, promoted the de-centralization of the southwest and northwest regions, and focused on development and reconstruction to build a solid foundation for peace and stability. The Chadian authorities promoted the political transition, and steadily advanced the preparations for the national dialogue with the main parties. Angola, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and São Tomé and Príncipe will all hold elections within this year, and preparations are underway.

Maintaining peace and stability in Central Africa will contribute to the overall security of the African continent. The international community and UNOCA should support regional countries in solving their own problems, strengthening national governance and capacity building in accordance with their own actual situations, and pursuing development paths that fit their national conditions. China firmly supports the efforts of regional countries to safeguard their sovereignty and territorial integrity. The countries concerned in the region should resolve their differences through diplomatic and political channels, and maintain unity and stability.

Second, leveraging the role of regional organizations. As the rotating chair of ECCAS, the Republic of the Congo has actively promoted regional integration, and established a collective security mechanism such as the peace and security council and the panel of the wise to address non-traditional security challenges with significant progress. Regional countries actively carried out counter-terrorism operations. Some fighters of Boko Haram and other groups have laid down their arms. Thanks to the efforts of regional maritime authorities, maritime security incidents in the Gulf of Guinea are also on the decline.

At the same time, illegal armed groups, terrorism, and violent extremism are still very frequent, and ethnic conflicts and conflicts between farmers and herdsmen continued, making the situation in the eastern part of the DRC worrying. To tackle these problems, regional countries need to enhance mutual trust and work together. The international community should provide more financial and technical assistance to regional countries in their counter-terrorism efforts, and support them in formulating DRR programs to curb the spread of terrorism. Support should be given to regional countries to enhance capacity building, help people get rid of poverty and under-development, stop the problems of illegal exploitation and trading of natural resources, and eliminate the root causes of conflicts. China attaches importance to the challenges posed to regional countries by climate change, and hopes that developed countries will honor their climate financing commitments and support regional countries in enhancing their resilience to adapt to climate shocks.

Third, making joint efforts to address the challenges. Regional countries have actively responded to the complex changes in the international situation, fought the pandemic, and recovered the economies, showing sufficient resilience. The international financial institutions have provided important financial support. Under the impact of geopolitical conflicts between major powers, regional countries are still facing multiple challenges such as food, energy, and resource crises, and humanitarian needs are on the rise.

The current situation highlights evermore the importance and urgency of development issues. Countries concerned and international financial institutions must implement their aid commitments, ensure adequate humanitarian funding, and must not reduce the attention and investment in the region due to other crises. We must continue to support countries in the region in their pandemic response, provide universal access to safe and affordable vaccines, and create favorable conditions for post-pandemic recovery in the region. We should support countries in the region to improve their investment environment in accordance with their national conditions and development needs, help the process of industrialization and economic diversification, support digital innovation, youth entrepreneurship, and development of SMEs, and enhance their capacity for independent development.

Finally, we like to pay tribute to the outgoing UNOCA Special Representative François Louncény Fall. He has played an important role in leading the work of UNOCA and in promoting the deepening of cooperation between the UN and countries of the region. I hope that UNOCA will continue, as mandated by the Security Council, to provide tailored assistance, taking into account the actual conditions in the region and the wishes of the countries concerned.

Thank you, Madam President.