I congratulate the President of the General Assembly on assuming the responsibility of steering the work of the General Assembly at its seventy-sixth session. I assure him of Sierra Leone’s fullest support during his tenure.
I also commend his predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Volkan Bozkir of the Republic of Turkey for the effective and efficient conduct of the Assembly at its seventy-fifth. We deeply appreciate his efforts in galvanizing a multilateral approach to containing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and handling its multifaceted impacts through several high- level meetings.
I also congratulate the Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, on his reappointment. I assure him of Sierra Leone’s continued support as he leads and coordinates the United Nations response to persistent global challenges. Sierra Leone associates itself with his call, among other equally important matters, for prioritizing the COVID-19 response, vaccine access and equity, tackling poverty and inequality, the impact of climate change, and promoting gender equality and human rights protection and promotion.
Our collective aspiration for a safe, equitable and prosperous future has been challenged over the last few years. As the world wrestles with the tragedy, trauma and adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sierra Leone appreciates all COVID-19-specific resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council. Sierra Leone is also fully supportive of all policy initiatives that advance multilateral cooperation on fighting the pandemic and implementing measures to mitigate its long-term effects on lives and livelihoods. We believe that our collective commitment through multilateral partnerships will see our world through the throes of this pandemic, build resilience and recover sustainably. The theme of the seventy-sixth session of the General Assembly — “Building resilience through hope - to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalize the United Nations” — is therefore most appropriate and timely.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted lives and economies, constrained development owing to the repurposing of development finance and the withholding of private capital, escalated the threats of climate change and food insecurity, broadened inequities and injustice, and increased fragilities. Nations risk
not meeting the Sustainable Development Goals and building resilience against future shocks. However, amid premature pessimism that the familiar world order has unravelled, Sierra Leone sees possibilities for renewed optimism and new growth. As a nation, we are grateful to the United Nations and the friendly countries and multilateral institutions that have worked with us to navigate the stormy period since March 2020.
In Sierra Leone, through our Quick Action Economic Response Programme, we are building fiscal resilience by investing in agriculture, developing human capital and expanding productivity through economic diversification. But we believe our post-COVID recovery will be anchored in increased private-sector investments, international trade and development financing in growth sectors. In that regard, we have created a conducive business ecosystem, amicably resolved business disputes, ratified international trade and labour instruments and continued to make progress in the fight against corruption because it is good for business and governance.
Our structured health preparedness plan, which has been implemented with close attention to the science and data, has helped save lives and protect livelihoods. Mindful of the need to save lives and preserve human dignity, Sierra Leone has been proactive in interrupting transmission chains, curtailing infection, minimizing deaths and mitigating the effects of COVID-19 on our population. We commend the global solidarity around the provision of COVID-19 vaccines to our nation. We thank in particular the People’s Republic of China, France, the United States, the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility and other multilateral institutions. We are ramping up vaccination rates and gaining greater vaccination coverage for our population. The worst of the delta variant may be behind us, but we will remain ever vigilant.
Throughout the COVID-19 period, we have done more to improve human capital development, support the most vulnerable of our citizens and communities, build strong institutions, create more inclusive democratic spaces, build infrastructure and ensure public service delivery. In our view, resilience is not to be hoped for but worked for, diligently and purposefully. We no longer wish to be perceived as a nation that is saddled with the tragedies and failures of the past. We no longer wish to be seen and spoken about as a nation recovering from problems ranging from civil strife to Ebola and from bad governance and economic gridlock to food and climate insecurity. We are a nation striving ever harder to fulfil our enormous potential.
Our peaceful democracy has matured. Predictable, regular and peaceful elections are the norm. Civil- society actors are partners at all levels of governance and of the delivery of public services. We have established an independent commission for peace and national cohesion to foster social cohesion and further consolidate peace in our country. We continue to remove threats to democratic freedoms and human rights. We have repealed a half-century-old seditious- libel law. No politician or rights activist is in prison for expressing his or her beliefs. No journalist is in prison for the practice of journalism in Sierra Leone. We have abolished the death penalty in our nation.
Throughout the COVID-19 period, we have promoted the right to education through creative solutions, including nationwide distance learning and hybrid education technologies. We have added 800,000 more learners and increased domestic education financing to 22 per cent of the national budget, and learning has continued throughout the pandemic period. Our policy of radical inclusion grants tuition-free and safe access to quality education to all learners, including pregnant girls, parent learners and children from poor and rural areas or living with disabilities. Coupled with comprehensive school safety measures, a revamped curriculum, hybrid education technologies, credible transition examinations, school meals, school health and other forward-looking policies, we are making steady progress in Sierra Leone. We seek partnerships to further expand these investments in education, technical training, higher education and entrepreneurship. Only then can our young people seize opportunities to expand the economy, innovate, take advantage of the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution and create new possibilities for our nation.
In our efforts to ensure the right to health we have simultaneously battled COVID-19 and other disease burdens such as malaria, HIV and tuberculosis, thanks to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The Gavi Alliance has supported the provision of more vaccines. We are reducing maternal and child mortality across the country and look forward to more partnerships to make even more progress. With respect to the right to work, we have regularly paid salaries through the COVID-19 period and provided support for vulnerable populations. There is greater Internet penetration and we are increasing energy access
throughout the country through a mix of sources, including solar power.
Sierra Leone associates itself with international efforts to protect the rights of women, get more women ready for the workforce, expand their access to resources and promote gender empowerment and equity. Building resilient and inclusive post-coronavirus societies involves increasing access to justice in a safe and secure society. In Sierra Leone, we have expanded legal aid services to poor and underserved people and established special courts to fast-track cases in the areas of sexual offences, social security, corruption and small claims, among others. Sierra Leone urges global solidarity with regard to access to justice and remedies for survivors of sexual violence. That builds on our domestic efforts against sexual and gender-based violence. In that regard, I have directed the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the United Nations to sponsor a stand-alone resolution on the issue in the General Assembly. Let this be the year that the United Nations gives all survivors of sexual violence the remedies they deserve. We will also continue to work closely with partners on cybersecurity and digital public goods, as well as to curb irregular migration of persons. We have complemented international action with local initiatives and cooperation models.
The perils of climate change in land degradation, erratic rainfall patterns and rising sea levels and temperatures loom large. Together they threaten food and water security, fish resources and energy access. Sierra Leone is on board with all global climate-action commitments and looks forward to participating in the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Glasgow and the fifteenth Conference of Parties of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. We are integrating climate-smart polices and projects into our development priorities. Last year, we established a statutory agency to enhance our capacity to deal with the full cycle of disaster management. However, as with other least developed countries, the climate financing gap remains a key challenge to the implementation of our mitigation and adaptation measures. Accordingly, Sierra Leone joins other least developed countries in calling for a green climate fund to meet the $100 billion target to support the mitigation and adaptation plans of developing countries. Through that we can create new green jobs, especially for young people and women, encourage sustainable and inclusive communities and build resilience to climate-change shocks.
In spite of that progress, our subregions in Africa are dealing with peace deficits arising from violent extremism, piracy and other forces of instability. Our continental organization, the African Union, and our subregional Economic Community of West African States are fully engaged. We urge the United Nations to increase its collaboration and partnerships with those bodies and Governments in order to usher in a more peaceful subregion. My country provides leadership to the conflict-affected and fragile countries of the Group of Seven Plus (G-7+). We emphasize the nexus between peace and development and reaffirm our joint call for a global ceasefire and the pursuit of peace through national dialogue and reconciliation. Only then will our nations be able to emerge from fragility into sustainable development.
While the COVID-19 pandemic is universal, it has disproportionately affected countries such as ours in the G-7+ group. The world’s poorest nations face the grim challenges of global economic downturns, reduced foreign aid and larger trade deficits. The success of global recovery efforts will therefore depend on the recovery of the countries in fragile situations. We have undertaken voluntary national reviews and peer reviews as self-assessment tools for taking stock of the progress we have made and the challenges with which we must contend. We believe that through our ongoing reforms we can transition from fragility to a sustainable and resilient future. By investing in human capital development and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions, we believe that future is attainable.
A fairer and more equitable post-COVID-19 world order is possible when all nations and regions of the world can dialogue as equals. We must eradicate hierarchies of power and discuss our common concerns and shared aspirations as equals. Sierra Leone notes the remarkable progress that the United Nations and Member States have made on the issue of decolonization. We therefore encourage Member States to map out fresh approaches to advancing the decolonization agenda, in line with the mandate contained in resolution 1514 (XV). A post-COVID world order requires more partnership and collaboration with input from all nations on all continents across the world. We cannot exclude the voices of the 54 nations and 1.2 billion members of
the world’s population who live in Africa. We cannot justify that exclusion with power structures set up 75 years ago. We must reaffirm our common values and address our shared aspirations as equals.
We can start to redress these gross imbalances by reforming the Security Council to make it more broadly representative, efficient and transparent and thereby enhance the legitimacy of its decisions. Sierra Leone recognizes the commitment that has been demonstrated to injecting new life into the discussions on reform of the Security Council. As Coordinator of the African Union Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government on reform of the Security Council, Sierra Leone is pleased to note the progress made during the seventy-fifth session of the General Assembly in acknowledging Member States’ wide recognition of and broad support for Africa’s legitimate aspiration to playing its rightful role on the global stage. As asserted in the African Common Position, articulated in the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration, redressing that historical injustice against Africa is an urgent priority. Africa demands no fewer than two permanent seats with all the rights and prerogatives of permanent members, including the right to veto, if the veto is retained, and two additional seats in the Security Council’s non-permanent category. On behalf of African Union member States, I urge all members to demonstrate their renewed commitment to reforming the Security Council and making it more representative, inclusive, democratic, transparent and accountable.
Let me conclude by reiterating that Sierra Leone will work with partners to enhance the multilateral rules-based order, collaborate on our shared post- COVID global agenda and build back better and more sustainably.