Statement by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ambassador João Genésio de Almeida Filho, at the UNSC meeting on MINUSCA - October 19th 2022

Mister President,

My delegation would like to thank the briefers for their presentations and insight.

We also wish to thank SRSG Valentine Rugwabiza for her efforts ahead of MINUSCA, since those led to more favourable conditions in the dialogue with the host government. Moreover, they resulted in an improved, more proactive, approach to tackle issues on the ground, especially in the field of security. We believe that renewed emphasis on strategic communication could further contribute to this improving trend.

These developments are particularly welcome at a time when challenging circumstances persist. The human cost to restore security and ensure state control over the territory of the Central African Republic continues to increase and spares neither the local population nor the UN peacekeepers. Brazil wishes, once again, to seize this opportunity to pay tribute to all victims of the attacks occurred near Koui on October 3rd.  Despite the difficulties posed in the security and the humanitarian fileds by the current shortage of fuel, we must keep up with the work to bring the fighting to an end.

The first and most effective measure in that direction is to expedite the follow-up process of the republican dialogue. We commend the CAR authorities for setting a committee to implement the dialogue’s recommendations and encourage the swift completion of the said committee’s work. In addition, Brazil echoes the reiterated calls of the Peacebuilding Commission CAR configuration to ensure that every step in the peace process be inclusive. In order to find a durable solution, it is essential to bring all stakeholders to the table, including opposition parties and women.

Another point we wish to underscore is the key role played by the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes in the implementation of the 2019 Peace and Reconciliation Agreement and encourage the Central African authorities to persevere on their work in this field. We hope the collaboration between the government and MINUSCA to put in place violence reduction programmes in local communities will continue to have a positive impact on the global DDR efforts.

My delegation believes that it is equally important to strengthen the rule of law, especially in light of the various reports on human rights and international humanitarian law violations committed in the context of the ongoing clashes between the FACA and armed groups, including the recruitment of children soldiers. In this regard, we would like to show support to (i) the efforts of the local authorities to deliver justice, in particular the work of the Special Criminal Court since April and (ii) the action undertaken by MINUSCA to assist in the operationalization of the Truth, Justice, Reparations and Reconciliation Committee.

Mister President,

My last point concerns the contribution of regional organisations to the peace process in the Central African Republic. We reiterate our full support to see the renewed engagement of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region in favour of the implementation of the September 2021 roadmap. We hope the monitoring mechanisms led by Angola and Rwanda will be successful in enabling further international support to the implementation of the Peace Agreement.

Brazil remains commited to collaborating with other Council members to support the fulfillment of MINUSCA’s mandate.

I thank you.