S/PV.9783 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/2024/818, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by France. 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 2759 (2024). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements after the voting.

The Russian Federation supported France’s resolution (resolution 2759 (2024)) on extending the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. Nonetheless, in my statement, I would like to clearly outline the Russian position regarding a number of elements in the document that do not enjoy our support. First and foremost is the mention of the so- called International Criminal Court (ICC). We have repeatedly and in detail set out our assessment of the work of that dubious, pseudo-judicial structure. It is clear that the ICC long ago became the embodiment of double standards and ineffectiveness and turned into a purely political instrument that has nothing to do with justice. The main point is that in no situation has its involvement contributed to the establishment of lasting peace. Instead, everywhere it has been involved, it has pushed forward the mercantile interests and agendas of its Western masters. The most blatant example of that is the failure of its work on the situations in Libya and Darfur, referred to the ICC by the Council, endless unaubstantiated reports, imitation of activity and various excuses. That structure, which has brought no benefit to the Central African Republic, simply cannot bring any and never will. The history of the ICC and international criminal justice has clearly shown that it is national courts that can effectively combat impunity without politicization and double standards. We would also like to urge Council colleagues not to mix up the key provisions of the mandate resolutions with subjects that are not directly under the remit of the Security Council. In that regard, we are talking about the inappropriate references to internal documents of the Secretariat on the environment. We believe that, in the interest of increasing the effectiveness of the work of peacekeepers, we must focus on providing missions within clear and structured mandates, and not creating so-called Christmas trees of responsibilities. In conclusion, we would like to express our support to our Central African colleagues with regard to the need to increase the Mission’s volume of domestic procurement. We agree that such a decision would help to serve as additional stimulus for the country’s economy. We note that the full implementation of the Mission’s mandate can take place only if we maintain mutual understanding with the authorities of the host country. For our part, we intend to continue to assist Bangui in order to establish lasting peace and development in the Central African Republic.

At present, the political and peace processes in the Central African Republic are at a critical stage. Under the leadership of Special Representative Valentine Rugwabiza, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) has been playing an important role in the advancement of the country’s political process, the protection of civilians and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, among other areas. On the whole, MINUSCA’s mandate renewal is conducive to creating a favourable environment for the smooth conduct of the country’s elections next year and will further help stabilize the situation in the region. China therefore voted in favour of resolution 2759 (2024). This past August, the Secretary-General submitted a report (see S/2024/615) on the independent strategic review of MINUSCA, which contains a number of recommendations on the Mission’s key tasks and priorities for the next phase. We hope that the Council will listen fully to the views of the Central African Republic and, on that basis, better align the Mission’s priorities with those the Central African Republic’s national development strategy and further enhance the Mission’s mandate implementation capacity and operational effectiveness, so as to make greater contributions to the maintenance of peace and stability in the country. At the same time, China notes that reasonable viewpoints raised by some Council members during the consultations were not taken on board. We hope that, going forward, the penholder will listen carefully and fully to the views of the countries concerned, accommodate the concerns of all parties and demonstrate fairness and inclusiveness, so as to build broader consensus.

I have the honour to deliver this explanation of vote on behalf of the three African members of the Council, namely, Algeria, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, as well as Guyana (A3+). We would like to thank the penholder for all its efforts to reach a consensus text. The members of the A3+ voted in favour of renewing the mandate of United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) because the Mission is vital in advancing the stabilization mandate of the United Nations in the Central African Republic. MINUSCA’s presence is also essential to supporting the Government’s preservation of the positive security developments in the Central African Republic achieved over recent months. It is worth recalling that the previous unanimous adoption dates back to 2020 (see S/PV.8776). In that regard, the A3+ welcomes the unity shown by the Council to renew MINUSCA’s mandate. We continue to view MINUSCAS’s role as vital in supporting the implementation of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic and the Luanda road map, helping expand State authority, supporting transitional justice mechanisms, fostering intercommunal dialogue and promoting national reconciliation. We equally see MINUSCA’s mandate as critical in supporting the Central African Republic in preparing and delivering free, fair and peaceful local, presidential and legislative elections, which are scheduled for 2025 and 2026. At the same time, we remain disappointed by the Council’s inability to adopt stronger language in the resolution just adopted on the issue regarding local procurement (resolution 2759 (2024)). We hope that, next year, we will be able to strengthen the current language in paragraph 20. Before concluding, we wish to express our sincere appreciation and support to Special Representative Valentine Rugwabiza for her continuing dedication. We hope that MINUSCA’s work on the ground will meet the expectations of the Government and the people of the Central African Republic. We look forward to further collaboration with MINUSCA to achieve better results in the implementation of its mandate.

I now give the floor to the representative of the Central African Republic.

I would like to congratulate the United Kingdom on its presidency of the Security Council for the month of November. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you, Mr. President, for convening this meeting to adopt resolution 2759 (2024). The Central African Republic welcomes the unanimous renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). We would like to commend the exemplary cooperation and understanding shown by the members of the Council during the negotiations. The new mandate adopted today follows on from the previous mandate, whose relevance was borne out, on the one hand, by the progress made in restoring State authority and, on the other, in terms of the remaining challenges regarding protecting civilians and assisting with the forthcoming local elections. Those elections are crucial when it comes to guaranteeing accountability at the local level, but also to promote and foster a better understanding of the peace process among the population. The Central African Republic remains convinced that decentralization is a guarantee of lasting stability for our country. Once again, therefore, I would urge the international community to support the process of local elections in order to achieve the aims that we so long for. The Central African Republic also welcomes the fact that the resolution takes into consideration the need for the Secretary-General to ensure and foster procurement with local businesses and to use locally available resources for construction projects led by MINUSCA. In that regard, the support of the United Nations country team, under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator, is decisive in achieving those goals, including through capacity-building for our local businesses to help them gain access to markets. I would like to commend the flexibility of the penholder in finding compromise on this subject. I would also like to thank the three African members of the Council, plus Guyana, as well as Russia and China, for their support. I also thank the other members of the Council for their flexibility. We would like to reiterate that, as part of the stabilization and development process begun by the Central African Republic as part of its national development programme, MINUSCA should fully contribute by prioritizing local procurement. For us, that is part of the Mission’s multidimensional function, whose ultimate goal is to ensure peace and stability, which also involves socioeconomic recovery and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. It is therefore important that our call be heeded so as to avoid unhelpful misunderstandings. The Central African Republic remains committed to cooperating with MINUSCA to fulfil that request and, under the best possible conditions, to contribute to the implementation of the mandate. Lastly, I would like to thank the Council for its unflagging efforts to promote peace in my country, even if sometimes there are some issues regarding consistency and effectiveness.