We first give thanks to God the Almighty for having guided our steps and allowed us to find ourselves in this beautiful cosmopolitan city of New York. Allow me to offer my sincere thanks to the host country, the United States of America, and its people, in particular the authorities and the people of the state of New York, for the very warm welcome and the legendary hospitality extended to me and the delegation accompanying me.
I would like to reiterate my deepest condolences to the peoples of Morocco and Libya, who are today bereaved by natural disasters whose human and material damage is immeasurable. May God comfort the hard-hit families.
Allow me to extend my warm congratulations to Mr. Dennis Francis on his outstanding election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session. Burundi assures him of its full cooperation and sends him its best wishes for success in the exercise of his mandate.
I am also pleased to pay well-deserved tribute to Mr. Csaba Korosi. his predecessor, for his remarkable work during his mandate.
The time has come to rebuild a peaceful world favourable to progress. We must cultivate trust, mutual understanding and solidarity. That is why we welcome the theme that animates us today. “Rebuilding trust and reviving global solidarity: Accelerating the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all”.
While we gather every year in this Hall and in other equally important venues, the world continues to face serious existential threats, unfortunately becoming more and more unstable and vulnerable as a result. While trust and solidarity are values that should characterize relations among our States, they are weakened because we have domesticated them and recreated them in our image and according to our interests. We must free them so that they are shared values. They must regain their original meaning, shatteringly lost first with colonization and the expansion of other selfish ideologies that seek to exploit less developed countries further for the benefit of rich countries. In reality, colonization squandered its opportunity to create solidarity through the meeting of cultures and knowhow and through a mutually beneficial partnership instead of a partnership of dependence.
Trust and solidarity then lost their primary meaning under the effects of neocolonialism, characterized by multifaceted interference in the internal affairs of developing States, by unfair remuneration for raw materials and by the strong demands imposed by the Bretton Woods institutions. From “development assistance”, as it was called a few years ago. to the “partnership for development” in use today, the terms proliferate but all seem to be imbued with bad faith. Indeed, the terms proliferate to veil that hypocrisy, while the resources put to work in the hope of economic returns likely to ensure recovery are declining.
It is important today to transcend the needs and interests of States, which are often divergent and even difficult to reconcile. International solidarity must ensure that all countries can interact with each other on an equal footing — the international solidarity that we want seeks not to homogenize but to be a bridge between differences and even divergences, connecting each other through mutually respectful and beneficial relationships.
Trust and solidarity should be the foundation on which international relations free from inequality and conflict flourish. It is also to that end that we in Burundi are working, first at the national level, to cultivate and strengthen that ideal within our people. Thus, after years of instability, the truth and reconciliation process begun in Burundi is now bearing remarkable fruit because Burundians are now driven by the same ideal in the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals. That is why we call on friendly and partner countries to support the action of the Burundian Government, and we strongly encourage foreign investment.
However, the sad observation is that public development assistance, which should support the
Government’s efforts in seeking the well-being of citizens, has gradually collapsed in favour of funding intended for non-State actors serving the unspoken geopolitical and economic interests of certain donor States. International solidarity should obviously encourage developed countries to contribute concretely to the socioeconomic development efforts of the least developed countries. The moral of the Kirundi saying “Ntawutungira mu boro” —which means “prosperity is lasting only if it is shared”— reminds us that investing in the prosperity of our neighbours truly guarantees the security and sustainability of our own progress. That underlines the urgent need to rethink and strengthen the global partnership, which, in our opinion, requires debt relief, a substantial increase in resources devoted to the fight against poverty, the strengthening of South- South cooperation, the sharing of technologies and innovation, and the expansion of trade agreements.
Despite all those challenges. Burundi remains determined and confident that the General Assembly will help restore confidence in my country and drive a renewal of international solidarity. The Government and the people of Burundi have a real and firm determination to optimize the dividends of peace and reconciliation so dearly won. To that end. our battle cry is the promotion of good governance and the fight against all forms of injustice.
Indeed, we have engaged in a tireless fight for the good management of public affairs and. thanks to that fierce struggle. Burundi has made significant progress in terms of democracy, good governance and the improvement of the business climate, thus becoming a safe place for investment opportunities and various economic activities. Moreover, considerable efforts are being made in the production sectors that create mass employment and bring growth.
In that context, my Government strives to particularly promote the agricultural sector, which employs a large part of the Burundian population. That is why we made the decision to finance the agricultural sector through a national agricultural subsidy programme that subsidizes fertilizer, selected seeds and phytosanitary products. Our action also focuses on the development of research in the agricultural sector, mechanization and the use of advanced technologies for agrifood processing and rural infrastructure.
To that end. a national pact for agriculture has been developed to establish two agropoles around four profitable sectors in the short term, as well as a special agricultural industrial zone. We want to involve Burundian economic operators and foreign investors on that front. In that context and to implement the plan, the appropriate regulations of the new Investment Code are today very attractive. Given its climate, which is conducive to year-round agriculture, the abundance of labour and the exceptional fertility of its soil. Burundi is the best destination for anyone wishing to invest in the agricultural sector.
In other sectors, my Government has just updated the Mining Code in order to create an environment favourable to investors in that sector, whose abundant mineral potential remains underexploited. The ambition of my Government is to boost our economy by exploiting natural resources to make Burundi an emerging country by 2040 and a developed country by 2060. To win our bet. we are placing young people and women, the real stakeholders actors in socioeconomic development, at the forefront through the promotion of entrepreneurship, innovation and the spirit of creativity. Indeed, we are focusing above all on youth because there is no more effective weapon than youth in the fight against poverty and in the prevention of conflicts.
As African Union Champion for Youth. Peace and Security. I take this opportunity to advocate for the better inclusion and effective participation of young people in the development programmes of our respective States. In that regard. I welcomed the decision of the General Assembly to establish a United Nations Youth Office, and I congratulate Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who proposed that flagship idea in his report Our Common Agenda (A/75/982). That is how intergenerational trust and solidarity can truly be sources of peace and security for sustainable development.
A supporter of non-discrimination against young people and women, the Burundian Government has chosen to take advantage of their many talents and broad knowledge and to promote their economic empowerment. Thus, in a desire to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, free education in Burundi since 2005 has enabled Burundian girls to exercise their right to quality education and thereby prepare for active participation in national life. For two decades. Burundi has improved gender relations in the political arena by setting the representation of women in the National Assembly and the Senate at at least 30 per cent. That rate is today
around 50 per cent in Parliament, the Government and positions of responsibility.
Eager to leave no one behind in its drive for socioeconomic development. the Government of Burundi is sparing no effort to promote the emancipation and empowerment of all specific groups of its population. With that in mind, the Batwa community, long victims of discrimination, now benefits from a policy of positive discrimination in the education, health and housing systems. Free health care for children and pregnant women has also contributed to improving the living conditions of women in general and Batwa families in particular.
I have taken my time in describing the situation in my country to demonstrate that Burundi is back on track and has earned its place in the concert of nations. It is a country that has recently overcome a difficult moment in its history but that has all the assets to go very far in development. In reality, while Burundi today may be a burden for development partners, tomorrow the situation could change if we manage to obtain substantial start-up capital to definitively exit the category of less developed countries.
We want a better world, but our world faces a multitude of conflicts that we must collectively oppose with unity and fraternity. Countries in difficulty need all of us. It is therefore in a spirit of solidarity that, within the East African Community that I chair, we have initiated a series of actions with a view to restoring peace and security in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Burundi also participates in peacekeeping and counter-terrorism operations in the Central African Republic and Somalia, which demonstrates the desire of the Burundian people to contribute to the advent of a better and more united world. Thus, in reiterating my call for international solidarity for the pacification of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Burundi reaffirms its unwavering support for the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes and the Peace. Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Region, whose Regional Oversight Mechanism is chaired by Burundi.
On this subject, if we insist on restoring trust among States, we should succeed together in condemning certain fishermen in troubled waters who fuel conflicts and destabilize other States. Let us dare to say that the political and security instability of the countries of the South, especially in Africa, arises from the desire of Powers that want to guide the internal policies of developing countries. Africa in particular, having become the arena for geopolitical clashes among great Powers, is still years behind in terms of economic development. It is that economic deficit that has become the cause of the internal conflicts that continue to push our countries into extreme poverty.
At the same time as we protest external interference in the affairs of States, we also condemn the resurgence of unconstitutional changes of power, which constitute a serious setback to the democratic gains recorded over several years in Africa and around the world. The constitutional order and the rule of law must take precedence above all. My country reiterates its firm commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue, cooperation, consultation and negotiation.
Generally speaking, peace, security and stability in the world seem to be giving way to war. terrorism and violent extremism, crimes and violence of all kinds. In that respect, at a time when the African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia is preparing to withdraw in the coming months as its successful mandate comes to an end. I salute the professionalism and sacrifice of the troops committed to peace in Somalia, including the Burundian contingent. I also take this opportunity to draw the attention of the international community to the consequences of the hasty closure of the Mission, which risks giving terrorist groups the opportunity to strengthen themselves.
Concerning the climate crisis. I welcome the commitments already made by States, in particular through the various international consultations on the climate issue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to finance environmental protection, climate resilience and the green transition of less polluting countries. We want to see those commitments followed up by concrete action, because the failure to mobilize $100 billion per year since 2020 through the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and annually until 2025. endangers future generations. We believe that the twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will be held this year in Dubai, will be an excellent opportunity to transform promises into realities.
Regarding the intensification of the migratory phenomenon, we are all aware of its scale and of the resulting threats to peace and security. Indeed, that movement, which worries rich countries, is the consequence of poverty because migrants in search of a
better life leave deprived areas to earn a living in more affluent areas. Reducing the migratory phenomenon will necessarily involve the adoption of appropriate and concerted measures enabling young people to improve their chances of finding decent work, self-employment or entrepreneurship opportunities, particularly through the implementation of programmes aimed at achieving the objectives of sustainable development at the national level.
We are called upon to focus our efforts on a global partnership that seeks to combat poverty in all its forms. However, while awaiting a lasting solution, the countries of transit and destination should understand and provide dignified and humane assistance to migrants and guarantee them the enjoyment of their fundamental human rights.
Respect for human rights is a subject on which we all agree. May those rights be universal and indivisible for all. My country has always opposed discrimination, the weaponization of human rights and their treatment by double standards. We condemn States that, under the pretext of protecting human rights, use them as a means of interfering in the internal affairs of States. Likewise, we are against politically motivated resolutions targeting particular States, as well as the implementation of mechanisms stifling targeted States without any form of constructive dialogue.
Allow me. before closing my speech, to reaffirm our commitment to the democratization of the multilateral system, including the reform of the Security Council and the international financial system, to make them more representative, fair, inclusive and able to more effectively tackle emerging challenges around the world. International law recognizes the principle of the sovereign equality of all States .which must therefore enjoy the same international rights and duties, including in the sensitive sector of maintaining international peace and security. I thank the States members of the Security Council, some of which understand the wish long expressed by Africa.
On this International Day of Peace. I would like to close my speech by paying vibrant tribute to our valiant peacekeepers wherever they may be. because they defend a universal cause that transcends all our differences. For peace, let us rebuild trust and revive international solidarity.