Statement by the Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ambassador Sérgio França Danese, on the situation in the Central African Republic - October 26th, 2023

I thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for her detailed briefing and welcome the Foreign Minister of the Central African Republic and the delegation of Angola to this meeting. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General for his detailed report on the situation in the Central African Republic (S/2023/769) and on the activities of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). I commend the work of the Mission in accomplishing its complex mandate. Brazil deeply regrets the deaths of yet three more Blue Helmets in the Central African Republic and send our condolences to their families.

Despite the challenging political and security situation in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA was able to advance the carrying out of its mandate, especially by supporting the Government in the establishment of conditions conducive to the implementation of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation. The efforts made by the Central African Republic for the decentralization of the peace process with the implementation of community based and local-level initiatives are encouraging. The success of peace agreements depends, among other factors, on how the people most affected by the conflict are engaged in their implementation. In this regard, we would like to commend the increas in the participation of women in local peace and reconciliation committees and congratulate all those responsible for the many initiatives that aim to guarantee women’s full participation in the political process.

Regarding the ongoing security challenges on the ground, we remain concerned with the continued instability in some regions of the country and the number of incidents with explosive ordnances, including improvised devices. We salute the work by MINUSCA towards mitigating this threat, including through education sessions and capacity-building. Brazil receives with distress the information regarding the increase in the number of human rights violations, of conflict-related sexual violence cases and of grave violations against children. We call for continued efforts to halt that appalling trend and bring those accountable to justice. The humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic deserves our continued attention, with 56 per cent of the population requiring humanitarian assistance. Food insecurity is a grave concern, worsened by the rising goods and fuel prices. Yet despite those challenging factors, the Central African Republic remains a destination for forced displaced people coming from Sudan and Chad. We would like to echo the words by the Secretary-General in prasing Central African communities for generously welcoming these people who are fleeing from severe conditions.

Colleagues,

We welcome initiatives such as the reactivation of MINUSCA’s peacekeeping-intelligence coordination mechanism, that can enable better early warning capacities from the mission. Furthermore, we see with great interest the environmentally friendly infrastructure that has been used by MINUSCA, especially the increasing use of renewable energy by the mission. In a time of crisis for the prevalent models of peacekeeping operations, MINUSCA has been able to support a delicate political process while also implementing innovations in its operational aspects. It deserves our full appreciation and continued support.

Thank you.