At the outset, I would like to warmly congratulate His Excellency Mr. Abdulla Shahid on his effective leadership of the work of the seventy-sixth session of our Assembly. I also wish to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Csaba Korosi, his successor, on his brilliant election and to assure him of the solidarity of the Comoros as he carries out his mission. I also thank Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his sustained investment, as well as that of all his teams, in the service of peace and development.
The seventy-seventh session of the General Assembly is being held at a particularly delicate moment in the life of the international community. The face of the world is changing profoundly from one year to the next. Indeed, three years ago our countries entered the worst health crisis in their history, marked by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The pandemic, as the Assembly knows, has brought all the countries of the world to their knees and demonstrated that, big or small, we are all equal in the face of the epidemiological threat that today is one of the worst situations facing our global village. In that regard, the Union of the Comoros wishes once again to express its thanks and appreciation to all those who have worked tirelessly to provide, in just a few months, effective solutions that make it possible to restore hope in the world and to gradually emerge from this crisis that has seriously shaken the world’s economies.
As if all that were not enough, another crisis, caused by the invasion of Ukraine, has revealed once again, and in a dramatic way, the fragility of the multilateral system that brings us together today. With each passing day we are seeing the price of wheat and other food products increase to unprecedented levels, which jeopardizes food security by increasing the threats of shortage and famine. That is why my country condemns in the strongest terms this anachronistic invasion and urges the international community to convince Russia and Ukraine to resume as soon as possible the path of dialogue and mutual respect, the only things capable of opening the way to the cessation of hostilities. I would also like to welcome last July’s Black Sea Grain Initiative, carried out under the auspices of President
Erdogan of Tiirkiye and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and aimed at allowing the export of millions of tons of grain blocked in Ukrainian ports. Those agreements, which ought to be consolidated, are proof that dialogue can and must always prevail to prevent the world from plunging into chaos and misery.
In addition to concerns related to the ongoing conflicts and health and food crises, the community of nations must continue its quest for appropriate solutions to political and territorial problems related to the sovereignty of States and the dignity of nations. In that respect, I reiterate here, on behalf of my delegation, the imperative need to find a rapid, just and equitable solution to the flagrant injustice that Palestine is suffering. We must indeed find a solution that enshrines the right of the Palestinian people to a sovereign State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living in perfect security and harmony with the State of Israel because, as the Comorian adage says, “we choose our friends, but we do not choose our neighbours”.
With regard to the question of the Moroccan Sahara, I reiterate the unfailing support of the Union of the Comoros for the principle of Moroccan rule over the Sahara. The Moroccan autonomy initiative, within the framework of the sovereignty of the Cherifian Kingdom, is, in our eyes, the best basis for reaching a timely, pragmatic and lasting solution to that regional conflict, which has gone on for far too long. My Government therefore strongly encourages dialogue between our two brotherly countries, Morocco and Algeria, and welcomes all initiatives likely to contribute to ensuring peace in that region, in particular the relaunch of the political process, based on Security Council resolutions.
In the same vein, with respect to the sovereignty of States, the Union of the Comoros reiterates its position on the need for the People’s Republic of China to recover its integrity with respect to the Chinese province of Taiwan. In that context and given the threats that weigh on world peace today, which everyone recognizes and understands, my Government invites all parties involved in the various conflicts to show restraint and a spirit of responsibility.
With regard to the highly worrisome situation in the Sahel, we know from experience how dangerous it is to allow hotbeds of tension to arise and become fertile ground for the expansion of international terrorism. My Government is all the more attentive to this issue as we have seen the rise in power in southern Africa of the barbaric Al-Shabaab phenomenon, which constitutes
a threat on land and at sea for the entire continent. I reaffirm, as I did last year before the Assembly (see A/76/PV.10), that these groups threatening peace in the world are not Muslims. They are quite simply terrorists who have nothing to do with Islam, which is a religion of peace, tolerance and coexistence.
However, we are aware that behind these contemporary terrorist phenomena, which we must fight vigorously, there is also a great deal of frustration among young people who have no points of reference and are in search of a future. In that regard, I appeal to the great Powers of this world and recall that while their support is an essential contribution to the economic and social development of the States under the greatest threat, said support should be designed in such a way as to also meet the aspirations of the peoples that benefit from it. I am convinced that nothing beats prevention when it comes to building peace, security and stability in the world. The only way is to manage the complex issues that threaten world peace at their earliest stages, through dialogue and diplomacy.
I cannot talk about conflicts without mentioning the territorial dispute between my country and France concerning the Comorian island of Mayotte. My Government, like all those that have preceded it, solemnly recalls before the Assembly, and in accordance with international law, Comorian sovereignty over this island, which was removed from Comorian rule during the decolonization process of our country. The management of this painful dossier, which has lasted for more than 40 years, is very fortunately seeing new perspectives open up with the spirit of dialogue that has been created between the Comorian and French parties.
The principles and values of the United Nations are now gathered around the Sustainable Development Goals, which each country has made a priority. It should be recalled that climate change is one of the important elements of the Sustainable Development Goals. However, entire regions are simply destined to disappear, while others are daily subject to the intensification of climate phenomena, such as floods, intense droughts, fires, coastal erosion or the acidification of the oceans. While these disasters spare no country or region, it should be emphasized that the case of island developing States like the Comoros is even more worrisome and deserves greater attention from us leaders. I also take this opportunity to renew our condolences, support and sympathy to the authorities and the people of Pakistan, and through them, to the bereaved families and the victims of the heavy floods that have affected this brotherly country.
Our States are also confronting other dangerous phenomena, such as piracy, pollution, illegal fishing, the plunder of resources at sea, human trafficking and drug trafficking, which require our utmost attention. My Government joins all regional and global initiatives in waging a merciless fight against these barbaric acts, which are one of the major threats to the security of property and people. That is why I have always attached great importance to the security dimension in our geostrategic action, particularly in the Mozambique Channel area and the south-west Indian Ocean region.
My country, the Union of the Comoros, has just celebrated 47 years of independence. Although the first two decades following that regained freedom were marred by political unrest, turmoil and instability, the country has enjoyed peace and stability for more than 20 years now. It is therefore necessary to do everything possible to consolidate and perpetuate this newfound political stability because it constitutes a real guarantee of socioeconomic development. Our salvation lies, in fact, in a peaceful, united society that is increasingly inclusive of all the structures that make it up.
Thus, with a view to better national cohesion and mid-mandate, last February we held a national political dialogue aimed at bringing together more Comorian men and women around essential objectives, including peace, security and national unity, with a view to sustainable socioeconomic development. The Assembly will understand why I wish to thank all the partners who were kind enough to lend their support to that dialogue. I remain convinced that all the vital forces of the nation that took part in that important meeting will work towards the consolidation of the achievements of the past 20 years, in terms of human rights and the democratic transfer of power, and thereby advance the development of the country.
With regard to human rights, allow me to emphasize that my country works closely with the relevant regional and international bodies and has successfully passed the four-year universal periodic review mechanism of the Human Rights Council in 2019. The constitutional and legislative reforms carried out confirm my country’s desire to make human rights a national priority.
With respect to social outcomes and all other areas, COVID-19 has been a concern and forced countries to prioritize its management. The Union of the Comoros experienced two waves, the second of which proved to be more virulent, claiming many victims. Nevertheless, the situation in the country has been brought under control thanks to forethought and the provisions taken by the authorities in that respect, and with the support of our bilateral and multilateral partners, the communities and civil society. We thank them once again. It must be said that even if the Union of the Comoros is, thankfully, currently classified in the “green” category, we must remain vigilant, especially being an island country, in order to avoid a new outbreak of the disease. Consequently, the Comorian Government is making considerable efforts to support the population on a daily basis, particularly in this time of global food crisis resulting from COVID-19 and aggravated by the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.
I welcome the action of all the development partners of the Comoros and reiterate my thanks to them here. Alongside the United Nations system, the newly signed framework plan for sustainable development for the next five years perfectly integrates the priorities held by the Emerging Comoros Plan, the reference framework par excellence for the development of our country. The combined efforts of the Government and bilateral and multilateral partners must converge towards a major objective, that of the emergence of our country by 2030. In that light, in early December we intend to organize in the country a follow-up seminar to the Conference of Development Partners that was held in France in 2019 in order to mobilize the promises made to support this challenge of emergence by 2030. I would like therefore to launch from this rostrum a friendly and fraternal appeal to all our partners to find together the ways and means of evolving towards the concretization of the commitments we made in Paris to finance the various projects targeted in the programme.
At the regional level, I attach particular importance to the close cooperation that exists between the Comoros and the countries with which we share a common destiny in the Indian Ocean area. The Union of the Comoros also participates in regional efforts aimed at ensuring security in eastern Africa and, in that context, supports the sisterly Republic of Mozambique in its fight against terrorism, a scourge that spares no country. Regional and international solidarity must therefore prevail if we are to wage a merciless fight against this scourge and ensure the safety of all.
Our presence every year here at the United Nations is irrefutable proof of the interest we place in multilateralism and of our conviction of the major role of the Organization in further humanizing the world. This year, it reflects an even stronger and unshakable common resolve to act for the good of our respective peoples.
In conclusion, I would like to stress the need for continued unity and solidarity within the international community. It is together and within an organized framework that we will find the appropriate solutions to the great challenges of our time, for greater peace and progress, and for the betterment of all of us and generations to come.