Central African Republic: Statement During UN Peacebuilding Commission Meeting on Political, Electoral and Rule of Law Situation

Thank you, Chair, for convening this meeting and for the Kingdom of Morocco's continued efforts on this file. The timing of this meeting is critical as it comes just before the mandate renewal of MINUSCA in November 2021.

Thanks also to all the briefers for the overview of the current electoral, political and security situation, including the peacebuilding challenges and opportunities in the CAR. We have looked at the documents shared by the PBSO team, and it is encouraging that the UN is working closely with national authorities in efforts to ensure that reforms in the rule of law remain people-focused, and that the strengthening of national judicial and legislative institutions is going hand in hand with sensitising the general population on the same.

These partnership efforts are worth sustainably investing in. In this regard, we commend the work of the Peacebuilding Fund and bilateral donors to facilitate this implementation process. We welcome that, last month, during the meeting held by Sant'Egidio in Rome, CAR participants emphasised the need for inclusivity of diverse peacebuilding voices, including women and youth, in the implementation of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation. This is an approach the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) has also called for in its Joint Roadmap for Peace in the Central African Republic. We hope the outcomes will further encourage inclusive political dialogue to revitalize the peace process, national recovery and peacebuilding efforts.

During the October 18, 2021 Security Council briefing on CAR, the A3+1, consisting of Kenya, Niger, Tunisia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, delivered a joint statement, and I would like to highlight three areas from that statement. First, we underscored the necessity of implementing the Political Agreement, which we believe remains a fundamental tool to unlock stability, security, peace and economic development in the CAR. Secondly, we welcomed President Touadéra's October 15 announcement of a ceasefire, noting that the prevailing hostile security environment, especially in the west and centre of the country, is aggravating the humanitarian situation, with the vulnerable bearing the brunt of the effects. We commend the government-led activities and mitigating efforts, with the support of MINUSCA, in the areas of security sector reform, national reconciliation, DDR+, and justice and rule of law reforms. Lastly, Kenya continues to support the work of MINUSCA. We believe strengthened comprehensive peacebuilding efforts on the ground can go a long way to support the mission in effectively fulfilling its mandate.