Djibouti

**Mr President,** Allow me first and foremost to warmly congratulate His Excellency Mr Philémon Yang, President of the General Assembly for its 79th session, and to assure him of the full support of the Republic of Djibouti in the execution of his mandate. The theme you have chosen for this session—**“Unity in diversity for advancing peace, sustainable development and human dignity everywhere and for all”**—summarises and reflects what millions of human beings around the world are demanding: a world that is less unequal, more united, peaceful and prosperous. A world in which unity is not mistaken for the erasure of particular identities, and in which the recognition of a shared destiny galvanises the energy of everyone to build a better common future. We reiterate our gratitude to your predecessor, Mr Dennis Francis, for the tremendous work he accomplished. --- **Mr President,** The world is going through a perilous period, marked by disorder and uncertainty. The crisis is visible on multiple levels. - Conflicts are proliferating and becoming increasingly violent. - The wars in **Ukraine** and **Gaza** continue to rage, without agreement on ceasefire conditions. - **Terrorism** is gaining ground in several parts of the world, including in **Africa**, where its metastasis is a source of serious concern. - The **annual financing gap for the SDGs** is growing dangerously, and many countries are facing severe financial distress, exacerbated by multiple external shocks and the burden of debt. - The **crisis of trust among UN Member States** is affecting the multilateral system and undermining its credibility. - The risk of **geo-economic fragmentation** and **trade wars** is negatively impacting global economic growth and creating chaos in which the interests and voices of **developing countries** are lost. This diagnosis has already been made in our debates, dating back to the commemoration of the **75th anniversary of the United Nations**. There is no need to revisit it. The question now is whether we will be able to seize the windows of renewal that lie before us—for fortunately, such opportunities do exist. We must redouble our efforts, overcome our divisions, and act collectively to: - End conflicts; - Implement policies, investment programmes, and partnerships to make up lost ground in achieving the **SDGs**; and - **Reform international financial institutions** so they can respond swiftly and effectively to the emergencies and systemic shocks many countries face today. --- **Mr President,** Financial institutions must provide developing countries with access to **larger volumes of grants and concessional financing**, while preserving **risk tolerance** for investments related to sustainable development—including through the use of **innovative risk instruments**. These solutions must be discussed and deepened with a view to implementation within the **Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)**, whose **role and status must be strengthened**. The **United Nations**, as stated in the Charter, must play a central role in **coordinating global economic governance**, as it is the most democratic organisation. ECOSOC must continue to play a leading role in: - Identifying emerging challenges; - Promoting innovation; and - Achieving the economic, social, and environmental integration of sustainable development. Djibouti takes this opportunity to express its **deep gratitude** to the UN Member States for the confidence placed in it by **electing Djibouti to ECOSOC for the 2025–2027 term**. You may count on Djibouti to defend these key priorities during its mandate. --- **Mr President,** Like many developing states, **Djibouti faces major challenges induced by climate change**, including rising temperatures, water scarcity, and rising sea levels. In response to these persistent threats, the **Djiboutian Government** has implemented a series of **ambitious and multidimensional measures** to mitigate the effects of climate change and strengthen national resilience. The upcoming **COP29** offers another window of opportunity for the international community to avoid falling irreversibly behind in meeting climate commitments. It is a **vital opportunity** to elevate **adaptation** as an absolute priority and to **mobilise the necessary resources**. The promise to deliver **$100 billion per year** has not been fulfilled. It is **urgent** to restore trust by **swiftly disbursing the billions of dollars required** to implement adaptation measures and to support a **just transition to renewable energy** in low-income countries. There is an **urgent need** to **operationalise the Loss and Damage Fund**, which was created to support countries and communities suffering from the unavoidable effects of climate change, and to mobilise additional resources. This is an issue that: - **Affects the rights of billions of people**, - **Hinders development**, and - **Constitutes an existential threat**. --- Mr. President, We welcome the adoption of the Pact of the Future and its annexes, the Global Compact and the Declaration on future generations. We live in an era of disruptive technological advances and complex challenges. Djibouti is grateful to the US for having spearheaded the effort that led to the unanimous adoption by the General Assembly of the first ever resolution on artificial Intelligence to promote safe, secure and trustworthy Artificial Intelligence systems for sustainable development. We in Djibouti are convinced that preparing for the future requires optimizing our country's human capital as the most sustainable key to economic growth. Like many African countries, Djibouti's population is young. Its population is a tremendous asset and a huge competitive advantage if it is harnessed through investment in skills development and new technologies to promote quality job and workforce competitiveness. We have the ambition to vigorously pursue education systems focused on accessing advanced technological skills. Certainly. Below is the **English translation** of the continuation of **Djibouti’s address** to the **79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly**, focusing on regional peace and security: --- **Mr President,** Djibouti welcomes the progress made by **Somalia** in its efforts to stabilise the country, as well as the **holistic approach** developed by the Government of President **Hassan Sheikh Mohamud** to deepen peace. We commend the efforts of the **African Union Peace and Security Council** in undertaking a **joint strategic assessment** of the situation in Somalia and in drafting a **general concept of operations**. It is imperative that we intensify discussions to agree on the most effective **funding mechanism** for the mission. The mandate assigned to the future **post-ATMIS mission** is a **robust one**. The security threat posed by **Al-Shabaab terrorist attacks** remains a major obstacle to our joint efforts and must be eradicated as swiftly as possible. The future mission must be provided with **adequate resources** and **appropriate equipment**, including **force multipliers**. We must **unreservedly support** the efforts of the **Somali Government** to reposition itself as a key actor in the region. Its upcoming **term on the Security Council**, beginning in January, will undoubtedly serve as a platform to share the **lessons learned** and **experience gained** over decades of conflict. --- Djibouti remains **deeply concerned** by the **attacks carried out by the Houthis** on merchant and commercial vessels. These attacks are **seriously disrupting maritime traffic** and commercial flows. The crisis has already triggered an **exponential increase in maritime transport costs**, which is reflected in the **rising consumer price index**. If the situation persists, the **impact on Djibouti’s economy**—as well as the **environmental consequences** of these repeated attacks—would be devastating. We therefore call for the **identification of solutions** to ease the **regional tensions** contributing to the deterioration of the situation in the **Red Sea**, and for the **intensification of diplomatic efforts** to reach a **favourable resolution** to the **peace process in Yemen**, under the auspices of the **United Nations**. --- Mr. President, We are profoundly alarmed by the continued deterioration of the situation in the Middle East and Gaza, and the West Bank in particular. The violence continues unabated! We are profoundly saddened by the continued loss of lives, in particular children in Gaza, the collective punishment of the Palestinian people, the indiscriminate and continued bombings, and the unlawful occupation in the form of a total siege. The attack on Lebanon has accelerated the regional conflagration we all feared. We express hope that the parties would agree to the 21-day ceasefire called for by the US and France. We must avoid at all cost an all-out war. We welcome the resolution recently adopted at the General Assembly 10th Emergency Special Session by an overwhelming majority. The solution demanded by the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Arab Peace Initiative and by all the 140 states that already recognize the State of Palestine is the two-State solution. It is the only solution that can lead to lasting peace and security. And this is the very solution that has been blocked by Israel’s defiant insistence on maintaining its occupation of Palestinian territory in perpetuity. Mr. President, We are troubled by the continued deterioration of the situation in Sudan, the 3rd largest African country and a founding member of IGAD. We are saddened by the tragic loss of lives, the destruction of infrastructure and the devastating humanitarian catastrophe that it has caused. Djibouti, under the leadership of President Guelleh, current Chairman of IGAD, has held many meetings at Summit level to explore avenues for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Djibouti reaffirmed its commitment to the territorial integrity, sovereignty, political independence and unity of Sudan. In line with African Union Peace and Security Council decisions, we underscore the importance of ensuring the protection of the Sudanese State, its institutions and its people. We just recently held in Djibouti, in partnership with the United Nations, a retreat of mediators with the ultimate goal of harmonizing the various initiatives aimed at ending the conflict. We call on the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to honor the commitments made in Jeddah and subsequent negotiations and further urge them to guarantee full, safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian access. We call on Sudanese leaders to have the Sudanese people’s best interest at heart. We call on external actors concerned by the conflict in Sudan and in a position to do so to use their influence and bring constructive pressure to bear on the parties so they commit to a mediation format with the ultimate objective of achieving a negotiated settlement of the conflict. We cannot, we must not give up on the prospects of peace in Sudan. Mr. President, Djibouti stands ready to complete the normalization process with our neighbor Eritrea and we stand ready to find a negotiated settlement to the conflict on the basis of international law including the unresolved border dispute and other outstanding issues. The fate of our missing combatants is upper most in our hearts. Their families need closure! To conclude, At UNGA79, we have made significant commitments. We have adopted the pact of the future, a bold and ambitious document which bestows important responsibilities to our organization and strengthens it and also calls for a reformed global governance structure. We did it to reject the return to an older order, devoid of justice where the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must, where there is no rule of law and might triumphs over right. We did it for our own sake and for the sake of our posterity because we have no choice but to stand up and stand together to prevent a descent into this morass. We now have to honor the commitments made. The stakes are high, because if we don’t, the United Nations will continue to be reduced to a symbolic space where non-binding commitments are made but never implemented. Thank you for your attention.