On behalf of Senegal. I wish President Dennis Francis every success in presiding over the work of the General Assembly. I thank his predecessor and renew our support for the Secretary-General in the exercise of his duties in the service of the Organization.
Since our last session, the state of the world has not improved. For millions of people, daily life remains marked by fear, violence, poverty and inequality. Many countries continue to suffer the economic and social impact of the coronavirus disease pandemic. Global warming has reached unprecedented levels. The tragedy of irregular migration reminds us of the need to implement the Global Compact for Safe. Orderly and Regular Migration, and to relentlessly pursue the fight against the criminal networks that organize the illicit traffic in human beings. High-intensity warfare puts humankind at risk of major catastrophe. In Africa, the resurgence of coups d’etat remains a matter of serious concern. Senegal reiterates its strong condemnation of any form of unconstitutional change of Government.
The emergency of the hour is also terrorism, which continues to gain ground in Africa, without an appropriate reaction from the Security Council. On numerous occasions, in particular during its mandate on the Council in 2016 and 2017. Senegal has warned of the ineffectiveness of peacekeeping operations in Africa, whose mandates and equipment are barely able to respond to the nature of the situations. There is no peace to maintain where instead it must be restored by fighting armed groups who pillage and slaughter innocent populations on a daily basis, occupy entire territories and threaten States in their very existence. The tumultuous experiences of two current peace missions in Africa are edifying in that respect. Consequently. Senegal once again invites the Security Council to fully assume its responsibilities in the fight against terrorism in Africa by virtue of the collective security mechanism provided for by the Charter of the United Nations.
In the same spirit, we call for a de-escalation and peaceful settlement of the war in Ukraine.
We reiterate our support for the right of the Palestinian people to a viable State, coexisting peacefully with the State of Israel, each within secure and internationally recognized borders.
The theme of this session reminds us that the ideal underlying multilateralism is to create and promote trusting, supportive and inclusive relations among
countries. Senegal recognizes the valuable services that the United Nations and Bretton Woods systems have provided to member countries for almost 80 years, but we all know that the multilateral system, a legacy of a bygone past, has become obsolete.
However, as Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has rightly warned, a system that continues to ignore the realities of its time and the needs of more than three-quarters of its member countries accentuates inequalities, generates conditions that challenge it and causes the risk of its fragmentation. If we want to avoid that dissolution, wisdom dictates that we reform global political, economic and financial governance to make it more representative of diversity and thereby reinforce its legitimacy. We can get there if we put in the necessary political will.
The Group of 20 (G-20) demonstrated that by admitting the African Union as a full member. I warmly thank the members of the G-20 for their unanimous support for that initiative, which Senegal put forward during its current presidency of the African Union. We hope that the example of inclusion thus given by the G-20 will be followed by the Security Council and the Bretton Woods institutions, for a multilateralism more representative of the interests of all its members.
Likewise. Senegal remains committed to the vision of peaceful international relations based on the equal dignity of peoples, cultures and civilizations. On 31 October 1961. one year after our country gained its independence. President Leopold Sedar Senghor expressed that vision here in these words:
“[N]o one particular civilization ... could be imposed without the bulk of mankind rising up against it” (A/PV.1045, para. 17).
Sixty-two years later, our position remains the same. Among free peoples, whose history and sociocultural realities are diverse, there can be no legitimacy for some to define and impose on everyone else a single way of living, as a kind of civilizational ready-to-wear. What works for some may not necessarily work for others. Together, we can practice our shared values, but together we must respect our differences. That, for Senegal, is what must establish a revitalized universalism, more open and more effective in addressing the challenges of our time.
Among those challenges is the climate emergency. While extreme phenomena are increasing. Senegal remains committed to the implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Thus, thanks to our proactive energy mix policy, renewable energies now represent 31 per cent of our established electrical capacity. With the signing last June of our Just Energy Transition Partnership agreement, we aim to increase that rate to 40 per cent by 2030. I thank the Group of Seven partner countries that are supporting us in mobilizing €2.5 billion over a period of three to five years, starting in 2023. to finance our projects under the Partnership.
At the same time, we are continuing to build low- carbon and climate-resilient infrastructure, including two projects for mass transport systems: a regional express train and a rapid transit bus line, both electric. With the execution of national and continental projects, such as the Great Green Wall, our countries are clearly committed to climate action, within their means. The fact remains that, for the most part, green projects in Africa are financed by recourse to commercial debt, whereas they should be supported by the mobilization of the $100 billion per year agreed at the fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2009 to finance the climate action.
Climate justice would require that a continent that contributes less than 4 per cent of emissions yet suffers the most should not be condemned to fall into debt to repair and prevent damage for which it is not responsible. Senegal is in favour of a just and equitable energy transition, taking into account the specific needs of our countries, including universal access to electricity, of which more than 600 million Africans remain deprived. Thus, if we want the twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to be the venue for promises kept, let us ensure that the funding announced is available and accessible according to simplified and transparent procedures and terms.
On 25 February 2024. Senegal will hold its presidential election. Like the previous ones, it will be democratic, free and transparent, and on 2 April. I will hand over power to my successor after 12 years at the head of our country. I would like to thank the States Members of our Organization for their friendship and cooperation. Embodying the voice of Senegal, establishing and maintaining friendships in this concert of nations where our common efforts are harmonized towards our common ends has been a great honour for me.
On behalf of the Senegalese people. I would like to express my gratitude to all my colleagues and to ask them to welcome my successor with the same friendship and consideration. I will maintain the same feelings of cordial friendship and esteem for everyone. I am confident that in the Senegalese tradition of openness and dialogue.
my successor will be faithful to the relations of trusting friendship that unite our country and all the Members of the United Nations.