S/PV.8455 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of the Central African Republic to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2019/90, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by France. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2018/1119, which contains a letter dated 14 December 2018 from the Panel of Experts on the Central African Republic established pursuant to resolution 2399 (2018) addressed to the President of the Security Council. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2454 (2019). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting.

As the penholder, France welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution 2454 (2019), which renews the sanctions regime on the Central African Republic. In a context characterized by the holding of direct dialogue in Khartoum between the Government of the Central African Republic and armed groups under the auspices of the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic, the resolution demonstrates the consensus and the great importance that the Security Council attaches to the situation in the Central African Republic, and we welcome that. I would like to emphasize two points with regard to the resolution that the Council has just adopted. It sends a clear message to our Central African partners, which rightly expect a great deal of the Council. First, the resolution shows a real openness on the part of the Security Council to the request expressed by the authorities of the Central African Republic regarding the arms embargo. Their message was clearly heard. The Security Council undertakes to establish no later than 30 April a specific, operational road map that within a few months could lead to an easing of the arms embargo. That openness is based first on the need for the authorities of the Central African Republic to re-equip and train their defence and security forces so that they can contribute to the security of all citizens in the Central African Republic. That openness is also based on the acknowledgement of genuine progress made by the Central African authorities in three areas: reform of the security sector; the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) process of former members of the armed groups; and the management of weapons and ammunition. Lastly, that openness is realistic, since the Security Council acknowledges that there is still some progress to be made by the Central African authorities in the short term. As a sign of the Security Council’s strong commitment, the resolution also establishes a clear timeline by requesting that a report of the Secretary- General be submitted by 31 July in order to take stock of the progress made by the Central African authorities in the three areas that I have just mentioned, that is, in terms of security sector reform, DDR and the management of weapons and ammunition. The resolution also stipulates that following that report, the Security Council will meet by 30 September to decide on the possibility of easing the arms embargo. Ultimately, the resolution therefore clearly paves the way for a change in the arms embargo regime by the summer of 2019. Of course, by 30 June, the Central African authorities should report to the Committee established pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013) concerning the Central African Republic on the progress achieved. The Central African authorities can also continue to enjoy exemptions to the arms embargo. Lastly, they can continue to benefit from the support of their partners to strengthen the capacities of their defence and security forces. We have always affirmed that, in the case of the Central African Republic, the sanctions have never been seen as an end in themselves but always as a way to contribute to our common goal, namely, the stabilization and restoration of lasting peace in the Central African Republic. With the unanimous adoption of the resolution, the Security Council is sending a broader message. First, we are sending a clear message of support to President Faustin Archange Touadera in his efforts to promote peace and reconciliation among all Central Africans and of solidarity with the people of the Central African Republic, who are the primary victims of the ongoing violence perpetrated by the armed groups. It is also a strong message of support for the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic, for we all know that the solution to the Central African crisis can only be political. In that context, we welcome the talks being held in Khartoum under the auspices of the African Union with a view to promoting peace between the Government of the Central African Republic and armed groups. They are absolutely crucial to the peace process, and we hope that they will lead to tangible results. Before I conclude, since this is the last open meeting of the Security Council for January, I would like to warmly thank and congratulate you and your entire team, Mr. President, for the excellent work that you have done throughout your presidency.

My colleagues thanked you during the consultations, Mr. President, while I reserved for myself the privilege of doing so in an open format. But of course I was upstaged by my friend the representative of France, who in his usual gallant manner congratulated you twice. However, I want to congratulate you not on the conclusion of your presidency but on its successful conduct. You assumed the presidency immediately after joining the Security Council and managed it as if you had done the job of leading it a number of times already. I have always said, and I will say it again today, that the President’s role is like that of a football referee. The less noticeable he is, the better the footballers play. But he must always intervene when necessary to get the game back on the right track. You have combined that thoughtful referee’s ability to maintain a distance with impartiality and elegance. We thank you for that, congratulate you on the completion of your mission and await your return tomorrow to the ranks of us mere mortals.

Côte d’Ivoire welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution 2454 (2019), on the sanctions regime for the Central African Republic. In its capacity as Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013) concerning the Central African Republic, my country thanks all delegations for their spirit of compromise, which made it possible to arrive at a balanced text reflecting the Council’s resolve to support the Government and the people of the Central African Republic in the process of achieving a lasting solution to the crisis that our brother country is going through. The resolution requires the Council to develop a road map in the next three months whose implementation will make it possible to ease the measures taken under the arms embargo in order to assist the Central African Government. While commending the progress achieved by the Government in the area of security-sector reform and the ongoing deployment of the security and defence forces, as well as the adoption of a national defence plan, my delegation encourages the authorities of the Central African Republic, in coordination with international partners, to continue their efforts to address the persistent security challenges in the country. In that regard, we should underscore that under this new resolution, the Government of the Central African Republic is to report to the Sanctions Committee by the end of June at the latest on progress in the areas of security-sector reform; disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation; and the management of weapons and munitions. The relevant provisions of the resolution make it clear that in easing the arms embargo, the Council is taking account of the concerns expressed by the Government of the Central African Republic, in particular the urgent need to train and equip the national defence and security forces in order to enable them to provide a proportionate response to any threat to the security of the citizens of the Central African Republic. My country urges for synergistic action among the Central African authorities, the States of the region and the United Nations, through the Panel of Experts and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, with a view to ensuring effective implementation of the Council’s measures aimed at bringing a sustainable end to the country’s crisis. Côte d’Ivoire once again reiterates its full support to President Touadera and his Government and for the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic. Finally, we are hopeful that the talks that have been under way in Khartoum since 24 January at the initiative of the African Union will lead to concrete solutions, with a view to ensuring a lasting settlement of the crisis and genuine reconciliation in the Central African Republic.

Before adjourning the meeting, as this is the last Council meeting scheduled for the month of January, I would like to express the sincere appreciation of the delegation of the Dominican Republic to the members of the Council, especially my colleagues the Permanent Representatives and their teams, as well as to the Council secretariat, for all the assistance they provided us. This has indeed been a very busy month and one in which we reached consensus on a number of important issues within our purview. We could not have done it alone or without the hard work, support and positive contributions of every delegation and the Secretariat staff, including the conference officers, interpreters, translators, verbatim reporters and security officers. As we conclude our presidency, I know that I speak on behalf of the entire Council in wishing the delegation of Equatorial Guinea good luck during the month of February.