S/PV.6345 Security Council

In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council’s prior consultations, I shall take it that the Security Council agrees to extend an invitation under rule 39 of its provisional rules of procedure to Ms. Sahle-Work Zwede, Special Representative of the Secretary- General and head of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic. There being no objection, it is so decided. I invite Ms. Zwede to take a seat at the Council table. In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council’s prior consultations, I shall take it that the Security Council agrees to extend an invitation under rule 39 of its provisional rules of procedure to Mr. Jan Grauls, Chair of the Central African Republic configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission and Permanent Representative of Belgium. There being no objection, it is so decided. I invite Mr. Grauls to take a seat at the Council table. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. I should like to draw the attention of members of the Council to document S/2010/295, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on the situation in the Central African Republic and on the activities of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in that country. At this meeting, the Security Council will hear briefings by Ms. Sahle-Work Zwede and Ambassador Jan Grauls. I now give the floor to Ms. Zwede. Ms. Zwede: I am honoured to introduce the twenty-second report of the Secretary-General on the situation in the Central African Republic (S/2010/295), my first report since the creation of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA), in January of this year. Allow me to take this opportunity to thank members of the Council for their continued support of the peace process in the Central African Republic. During my last briefing to the Council, on 15 December 2009, it was highlighted that to achieve peace and stability in the Central African Republic, the parties to the peace process needed to show commitment and political will. I also suggested that concerted international support and assistance were required to support the peace process and to avoid a return to violence. I also requested the support of Council members to complete the integration process. I wish to update members of the Council on developments and the progress achieved in the past six months. The Central African Republic process has reached a critical stage in which the successful holding of elections and the completion of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) operations will determine the fate of the peacebuilding process. Those two major events are among the key recommendations of the inclusive political dialogue and are regarded as critical to lasting stabilization of the Central African Republic. On 29 April, President François Bozizé convened a meeting of national stakeholders and international partners to find a solution to the tensions around the organization of the elections. The meeting resulted in the postponement of the polls. Subsequently, the National Assembly amended the Constitution to allow the President and the legislature to remain in their functions beyond the expiry dates of their tenures on 10 June and 3 June, respectively. Despite uncertainties about what would happen after the expiration of the five-year presidential mandate, the 11 June threshold passed off peacefully and without incident. After consultations with national political stakeholders, including leaders of political parties and politico-military movements, and with the technical support of national and international experts, the Independent Electoral Commission shared a draft electoral time frame with the main international partners at a meeting of the Steering Committee on Elections held on 14 June. The dates set for the first and second rounds of elections are 24 October and 19 December, respectively. The draft also opted for a general electoral census instead of a revision of the 2005 voter lists. The successful organization of the presidential and parliamentary elections hinges on the Electoral Commission’s capacity to carry out its duties within the time frame established by the electoral calendar and the funds available. During the 14 June meeting, the Independent Electoral Commission also disclosed that the budget estimates for the electoral process had been revised upwards and now stood at $19,315,000 for the organization of the polls and at approximately $1,540,000 for computerizing the voter rolls, bringing the total budget for the entire process to $20,855,000. Taking into account the contribution pledged by the European Union and African Union, as well as the $1.5 million provided by the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), the revised budget reflects a funding gap of about $7.5 million. The Independent Electoral Commission requested the urgent provision of $3.5 million to enable it to conduct the electoral census operations from 14 to 28 July, which is crucial to the implementation of the draft electoral timetable. The international community has responded swiftly to the call of the Government of the Central African Republic for assistance in the electoral process. In this context, an electoral needs assessment mission was undertaken by the Department of Political Affairs in October. Mindful of the centrality of national leadership and ownership of the electoral process, the United Nations, together with all international partners, has been following up on the recommendations of the needs assessment mission and will continue to provide technical advice and support. Eighteen months after the establishment of the DDR Steering Committee, the demobilization and disarmament operations continue to be beset by numerous challenges. It is nevertheless worth noting the successful completion of the second phase of the DDR sensitization and information campaign in the North of the country, including the establishment of local DDR committees and the deployment of military observers by the Economic Community of Central African States in some north-western and central areas. Also worth noting is the adoption at the DDR Steering Committee’s 24 June meeting of the terms of reference for the campaign to launch the process of verification of the lists of former combatants in the North-West and North-East of the country, as well as the road map of DDR activities for the period between June and September. However, much more needs to be done in order to expedite the process. The disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of the estimated 8,000 former combatants are an essential condition for the success of the peace and national reconciliation processes and the creation of a climate of security conducive to the Central African Republic’s long-term social and economic development. Meanwhile, the security situation is being aggravated by the continuing attacks of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) on the civilian population in the Republic’s south-eastern provinces. The activities of the LRA have resulted in significant displacement of the population in the Haut-Mbomou and Mbomou prefectures. We are working closely with the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, the United Nations Mission in the Sudan and the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad to monitor these activities. But there is a need for a more coordinated regional approach to mitigate this serious threat to regional peace and security. In this regard, I welcome the legislation enacted by the United States Congress on the issue of the LRA, as well as the recent inter-mission meeting held in Entebbe, Uganda. Such initiatives are important contributions to the effort to devise a regional strategy to deal with the LRA menace. The prevailing insecurity continues to contribute to the deterioration of the human rights situation, with abuses against vulnerable groups such as refugees and internally displaced persons, and with women and children being notable targets and victims of widespread human rights abuses, such as rape and other sexual and gender-based violence. The human rights situation is also characterized by numerous cases of alleged violations, particularly the prolonged pretrial detention of individuals held with and without charges, cases of unlawful arrest and detention, and the ill- treatment of detainees. While the main focus of the Central African Republic’s political process has understandably been on the elections and DDR, it is important that we not overlook the need to fully implement the other recommendations of the inclusive political dialogue. The Dialogue Follow-up Committee recently carried out a three-week campaign in various parts of the country to sensitize local populations and assess progress in implementing the dialogue recommendations. Following that mission, the Committee issued a report that, as well as highlighting the shortcomings in the implementation of the DDR and electoral processes, painted a gloomy portrait of the implementation status of the dialogue’s other recommendations. In this regard, the Committee deplored what it perceived as a lack of political will on the part of the stakeholders. Despite the difficulties of the prevailing political and security situation, we have continued to implement the 12 priority projects under the PBF’s allocation of $10 million and have articulated projects for the implementation of its second tranche. The Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) has also continued to work with all national stakeholders, including the Government and civil society, on the implementation of the strategic framework for peacebuilding. In that regard, the Chair of the Commission’s country-specific configuration on the Central African Republic and Belgium’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jan Grauls, visited Bangui from 9 to 12 June for discussions with national authorities, civil society and international partners on the PBC’s engagement in the Republic. I would like to take this opportunity to commend Mr. Grauls’ tireless efforts and the work of the PBC’s country-specific configuration under his chairmanship. With regard to the implementation of an integrated United Nations approach in the Central African Republic, in accordance with the relevant decisions of the Security Council, BINUCA and the country team held a joint retreat on 6 May to articulate a common United Nations vision and a timetable for preparing an integrated strategic framework to guide the peacebuilding activities of the United Nations as a whole in the Central African Republic. This strategy will be finalized by September and its implementation will be monitored through the strategic policy coordination group, which, under my leadership, brings together the heads of all United Nations entities in the country. The group will also ensure that United Nations system’s activities are fully aligned with and contribute to the realization of national objectives, as articulated in the poverty reduction strategy paper, as well other documents, such as the strategic framework for peacebuilding adopted with the Peacebuilding Commission. The overall political, security and socio-economic situation in the Central African Republic remains precarious and fraught with challenges and pitfalls. Preparations for the holding of elections and the implementation of DDR have experienced mixed fortunes. The international community should remain committed to providing firm political and financial support to the Central African Republic to address the pressing challenges in the implementation of all the recommendations of the inclusive political dialogue. Above all, adequate funding needs to be provided to the Government of the Central African Republic in order to enable it to complete the electoral and DDR processes. I am deeply concerned by the deteriorating humanitarian situation and will welcome international efforts geared towards enhanced humanitarian assistance to refugees, internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups.

I thank Ms. Zewde for her briefing. I now give the floor to Ambassador Grauls, Permanent Representative of Belgium and Chairman of the Central African Republic configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission.

I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for allowing me to address the Security Council in my capacity as Chairman of the Peacebuilding Commission’s country-specific configuration on the Central African Republic. I went on mission to Bangui from 9 to 12 June. During that mission, I met with members of the Government, the Independent Electoral Commission, the Dialogue Follow-up Committee and the international community, as well as members of the United Nations leadership and country team, representatives of women’s organizations and humanitarian partners. In my briefing this afternoon, I would like to highlight some of the issues related to the implementation of the strategic framework for peacebuilding in the Central African Republic discussed during my visit. First of all, however, allow me to express the Peacebuilding Commission’s deep appreciation for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ms. Sahle-Work Zewde, for her work in Bangui in sometimes difficult circumstances. That work helps us enormously in achieving the goals that we have set ourselves within the Peacebuilding Commission. I wish first of all to say something about the electoral process. As the Special Representative of the Secretary-General pointed out, the most recent postponement of the date for the presidential and parliamentary elections resulted from a consensual agreement among the national stakeholders involved in the electoral process, all of whom, moreover, are represented in the Independent Electoral Commission. The international community supported that decision to postpone, given that it provides the time required for the proper preparation of credible elections. During my meeting with the Prime Minister and the President of the Independent Electoral Commission, I stressed that the holding of elections, including the setting of election dates, was a matter of the country’s national sovereignty, and that the international community could play a supporting role by providing technical and financial assistance. During my mission, the President of the Independent Electoral Commission informed me of the new proposed electoral calendar. It envisages a first round on 24 October and a second on 19 December. In order to encourage the international community to further support the electoral process, it is important that those dates be urgently validated by means of a presidential decree to signify the Government’s acceptance of the new calendar. That would facilitate the resource mobilization efforts that I have already begun and that seek to fill the $7.5-million gap in the total electoral budget, estimated at $21 million. While it is necessary to recognize the financial efforts made to date by the Central African Government, we must avoid allowing the signing of a presidential decree sanctioning the calendar to depend on financing by the international community. Another important matter that I discussed during my visit is the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) process. The requisite gap between the start of DDR activities, on the one hand, and the holding of elections, on the other, could become problematic, given that some rebel leaders continue to hope to participate in a transitional Government if the elections are postponed beyond the constitutional time frame. Such calculations explain not only the continuously delayed start of DDR, but also the lack of progress in the Government’s efforts to hold successful talks with the remaining rebel groups that have not adhered to the peace process. It would be desirable for the Security Council to put more pressure on all stakeholders, in particular the recalcitrant armed groups, to engage in the DDR process. The imminent onset of the rainy season will probably further delay the DDR activities in a large part of the country. That is why, during my meetings, I advocated for DDR to start in the zones where security and weather conditions allow, in particular the areas controlled by the Armée populaire pour la restauration de la démocratie in the North-West of the country. That suggestion was welcomed by the Government and the United Nations, and will have to be discussed in the DDR Steering Committee. I also discussed the possibility of reintegrating a certain number of ex- combatants into the national security forces, in particular in secondary functions, such as rangers or the gendarmerie, but also in the army itself. The minister in charge of defence was not opposed to that idea, but indicated that it would have to be executed according to applicable selection and quota criteria. Questions also remain with regard to the reintegration component of the DDR process — that is, the “R” of DDR. The funding provided by the international community through the United Nations Development Programme Trust Fund covers the costs of disarmament and demobilization. Currently, the European Union and the World Bank are jointly developing a reintegration strategy. I proposed to the other national and international partners that they integrate into that strategy their respective commitments to reinvigorating host communities and those affected by the conflicts. Such a document clearly goes beyond the issue of the reintegration of ex-combatants and also covers more general reintegration efforts. It could also serve as a basis for the Government to present its own planned and ongoing activities, including those financed by funds of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community. During my mission, I also discussed the other priorities of the strategic framework. I reiterated that the Central African Republic configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission was ready to organize an event following the successful holding of the elections and the conclusion of the country’s DDR process in order to mobilize resources for other peacebuilding priorities in the country, in particular security sector reform (SSR). In the short term, I have asked the Government to identify the most urgent priorities in this field and indicated my willingness to approach some donors for a limited set of specific interventions. It was agreed that the European Union SSR expert in Bangui will work with the SSR technical secretariat to reformulate and fine-tune SSR projects with a view to seeking funding from international partners for the their implementation. It was further agreed with the Minister of Justice that a document mapping activities would be drawn up in the area of the rule of law and justice similar to that concerning ongoing and planned activities in the development of communities affected by conflict. The purpose of the mapping document is to ensure coordination and coherence in activities in the areas of justice and the rule of law. It would also allow for gaps to be identified and to allow new stakeholders to contribute to efforts in this area in a manner that avoids duplication and overlap. I also met representatives of women’s organizations and stressed the importance of the gender perspective in all my contacts. I advocated for greater representation of women in State institutions and for representatives of women’s organizations to be allowed to participate as observers in the deliberations of the Independent Electoral Committee and the Dialogue Follow-up Committee. I should like to make a final comment on the planned departure of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) at the end of the year. I am pleased that resolution 1923 (2010) requests the Secretary-General to provide an assessment of international and regional options for the Central African Republic in his July report, since MINURCAT was a stabilizing presence in the north- eastern part of the country. Simply leaving that region, which is prone to internal turmoil and regional spillover, is not an option given the genuine risk of falling back into conflict. If the regional option is chosen, it will be necessary to strengthen the Mission for the Consolidation of Peace in the Central African Republic in terms of numbers and logistics, which can be achieved only through a combination of international support measures. If the Central African Republic is to serve as a successful example of the transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding, the importance of peacekeeping in the short term should not and must not be forgotten.

I thank Ambassador Grauls for his statement. I now give the floor to the representative of the Central African Republic.

I should to express my sincerest thanks to Ms. Sahle-Work Zewde, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, for her clear, concise and analytical briefing. She has without a doubt carried out an outstanding job in a very difficult situation in a post-conflict country. Essentially, the report of the Secretary-General that she has just introduced (S/2010/295) paints a very clear picture of the atmosphere in the Central African Republic following the presidential and legislative elections. Following the inclusive political dialogue, several recommendations were adopted, including two which are considered priorities: the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programme and the electoral process. While some progress has been made, it is true that the implementation of all of these recommendations has not been as hoped for. However, the two areas I just mentioned as priorities have received focused attention from national stakeholders and international partners. We all agree that restoring security across the entire national territory is a prerequisite for the successful holding of fair, credible and transparent elections, which is why making progress on disarmament and demobilization is so important. However, in a country prone to internal rebellion, groups of foreign rebels and bandits have not made things easier, despite the contributions of international partners to conducting the DDR programme, which is moving ahead but slowly. Nevertheless, the Government of the Central African Republic agrees that the DDR programme is lagging and that it is time to give it renewed impetus. There is also a need in terms of logistics in order to cover a number of remote regions. The electoral process has also encountered many obstacles that have roiled political life. However, the atmosphere seems to be growing calm enough for the organization of fair and proper elections. The involvement of national and intentional experts in assisting the Independent Electoral Commission to draw up the electoral timetable has been commendable. The dialogue and consultation framework of 22 June contained in the draft timeline could be changed by the Commission if the latter deems it necessary to move it forward in order to meet the intended electoral deadlines of 14 October and 29 December 2010. The Commission estimates that it will need $21.6 million in order to conclude the electoral process. At present, there is a shortfall of over $7 million. On behalf of my Government, I should like to express our heartfelt thanks to all the bilateral and international partners who have contributed to assisting the Central African Republic on our quest for stabilization and sustainable development. However, my Government does not understand why financing for part of this gap should be conditional on the signing of a presidential decree convening the electoral bodies. We appeal for greater flexibility on this assistance because the Central African Republic is at a crossroads. The Central African Republic is pleased to note that the new United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA) is taking shape and beginning to fully play its coordination role under the supervision of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. It is important to stress that the integrated strategic framework under development will make it possible for all the representatives of the United Nations system in the Central African Republic to coordinate their approaches and speak with a single voice. Such harmony of action would avoid duplication and cross- purposes and give recipient countries a single interlocutor. We deeply appreciate this partnership. Another partnership which I must not neglect to mention is the Peacebuilding Commission. The Commission covers a vast range of activities and fully plays its coordination role with the agencies and funds of the United Nations system that are assisting the Central African Republic in its peacebuilding and sustainable development efforts. On this occasion, I should like to express my sincere thanks to Ambassador Jan Grauls, Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission configuration for the Central African Republic, who remains devoted to our cause. He makes the case for the Central African Republic with an unshakable determination with his numerous interlocutors. We highly appreciate the initiatives he has recently drawn up on the reintegration of ex-combatants and on the secure launching of disarmament activities in some areas, as well as his latest letter calling for contributions. In conclusion, I wish to thank the Secretary- General for having agreed to grant the second tranche from the Peacebuilding Fund to allow for the implementation of a number of programmes of the revised priority plan. We also express our gratitude to the Peacebuilding Support Office, which assisted the Steering Committee in its work. I cannot conclude my remarks without conveying the encouragement of my Government to you, Sir, in your role as Chair of the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict. That is an issue close to our hearts. Therefore, with the support of UNICEF and other international partners, the Government of the Central African Republic is working to finalize its adherence to the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

There are no further speakers inscribed on my list. In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council’s prior consultations, I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion of the subject.