The
delegation of Chad echoes previous speakers in warmly
congratulating you, Sir, on your election to the
presidency of the Assembly at its sixty-fifth session,
and assures you of our desire to cooperate with you as
you carry out your mission.
I also express my delegation’s admiration for
your predecessor, Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, who
skilfully guided the Assembly’s work at the sixty-
fourth session.
Our tribute and recognition also go to the
Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his courage
and passion in seeking solutions to the problems facing
mankind.
Over the last two years the entire world has
struggled against the effects of the financial, food and
energy crises. The international cooperation
underpinning that struggle has been exemplary and
unprecedented. But, while it was able to curb the
financial crisis in the rich countries, the poor countries
continue to suffer from the effects of the food and
energy crises, added to which are the negative effects
of climate change on their environment.
The Republic of Chad welcomes the fact that the
United Nations is focusing on development challenges,
in particular the achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals and their financing, as evidenced
by the recent high-level meeting. But we fear that once
again the relevant recommendations that emerged from
that meeting will not be implemented.
Over recent years our Organization and the
international community have been particularly
concerned about the Darfur crisis and its impact on
relations between Chad and the Sudan, which have
been fully normalized following the courageous
decision of Mr. Idriss Déby Itno to travel to Khartoum
and finalize reconciliation with his Sudanese
counterpart, Mr. Omer Hassan Ahmat Al-Bashir.
The two countries agreed, among other measures,
to establish a joint force to secure their common
border. It is now patrolling the entire border to
maintain security. High-level meetings are held
regularly to assess the situation.
The two countries are also committed to
providing no support of any kind to rebel forces in the
respective countries, and they call upon those forces to
lay down their arms and accept a political settlement.
As always, the Government of the Republic of Chad
favours dialogue.
Although relations between our two countries are
being normalized, and there is a growing dialogue
between the Government and the armed opposition in
the Sudan, the situation in Darfur still merits special
attention.
Chad, no doubt like the entire international
community, has a dream of peace in the Sudan, which
is preparing for a major political event: the referendum
on self-determination for southern Sudan. That is a
high-risk undertaking if the process leading up to it is
not controlled, and if the balloting is not organized
under the best conditions of independence, security and
transparency.
We fear that failures in those respects could
compromise peace and security in the Sudan and the
subregion. That fear is reinforced by an appeal made
this morning by the Archbishop of the Episcopal
Church of the Sudan, who expressed concern about the
serious risks of war. In addressing the appeal to the
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United Nations and to the Governments of the United
States and Great Britain, the guarantors of the peace
agreements, Archbishop Daniel Deng drew our
attention to the significance of those risks. We must
take account of that legitimate concern.
In any event, the international community must
understand that the referendum in southern Sudan,
whatever the outcome, will have an impact on the rest
of Africa.
My country would like to see the Sudan’s unity
and integrity maintained, but the Sudanese themselves
are the only judges of their future, and Chad will
respect their choice.
On the other side of the Sudanese frontier, in
eastern Chad, there are still 290,000 Sudanese refugees
and 180,000 displaced Chadians, who have been there
since the Darfur crisis erupted in 2003. They are living
in precarious environmental and social conditions; this
is not to mention the situation of the host populations,
who also deserve more attention in order to restore the
natural balance disrupted by the massive influx of
refugees and displaced persons.
In anticipation of the withdrawal of the United
Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and
Chad (MINURCAT), Chad has committed itself to
having its own forces assume the protection of those
refugees and internally displaced persons, as well as of
United Nations and associated humanitarian personnel.
Thus, in accordance with Security Council resolution
1923 (2010) of 25 May, the Government has developed
a sustainment plan to ensure support for elements of the
Integrated Security Detachment (DIS) post-MINURCAT.
It must be remembered that DIS is composed entirely of
national elements of the gendarmerie and police whose
mission it is to maintain order and the rule of law in
the refugee camps and in areas with concentrations of
internally displaced persons, and to help ensure the
safety of humanitarian operations.
Respect for security and humanitarian
commitments in Chad has led the Government to make
a financial effort of around $12 million a month. That
does not include the cost of the joint Chad-Sudan
forces’ operations to secure the border.
Logistical support for security and for managing
humanitarian needs requires the combined efforts of
all. Therefore, the Government intends to organize in
Chad in the coming days consultation with all partners
in order to mobilize the necessary financial and logistic
support for DIS.
We take this opportunity to reiterate, once again,
the Government’s readiness to continue to cooperate
with the United Nations in all initiatives that will
benefit peace and security in eastern Chad, the Central
African Republic and Darfur. Accordingly, Chad
welcomes the meeting on the Central African Republic
held on the margins of the Millennium Development
Goals summit. We hope that that important meeting
enabled the international community to understand the
extent of the challenges facing that country and to
assist effectively both in the organization of the
coming elections and in the maintenance of peace
throughout its territory.
We believe that the cessation of armed incursions
into the area will have satisfactory effects on the
phenomenon of recruiting child soldiers. The
Government had already firmly resolved to eradicate
such recruitment, long carried out by the armed groups.
It was with that clear intention that my country hosted
last June a regional conference on ending the
recruitment and use of children by armed forces and
armed groups. My country makes its full contribution
alongside the contributions of the African Union and
the United Nations.
In national politics, a climate of trust between the
Government and the democratic opposition has existed
since implementation of the political agreement of
13 August 2007. This has enabled the various political
actors to agree on the conduct of our electoral process.
An independent joint national electoral commission has
been set up to organize consultations on the various
local and national elections, and it has decided on the
schedule for local, parliamentary and presidential
elections in the first quarter of 2011.
With regard to development, the country has
spent 60 per cent of its additional oil resources in the
social sectors and on basic infrastructure as the basis of
its socio-economic development. However, funding
needs for the MDGs in 2008-2011 show a gap of more
than $3.5 billion. Domestic financial resources remain
woefully short of our needs. Additional resources are
therefore essential to finance our development.
Accordingly, we call for the support of international
financial institutions, including the World Bank, to
reach the completion point of the Heavily Indebted
Poor Countries Initiative.
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In spite of all those difficulties, the Government
has implemented a social policy based on free access to
education and exemption from all charges related to
maternal health, HIV/AIDS and malaria.
On the environmental front, Chad has taken
strong measures to protect the environment, including
the prohibition of excessive cutting of green wood, to
conserve our forests and savannahs and to fight
desertification.
In addition, last June Chad hosted the first
summit of heads of State and Government on the
establishment of the Pan-African Great Green Wall
Agency, and on its programme. Chad was given the
honour of hosting the summit, organized by the Sahel
countries, because of its pioneering role in the large-scale
reforestation of the region. A national programme, “Green
Belt”, to plant more than 10 million trees a year
throughout the country, began in 2009. Beyond the
subregional aspect, such programmes integrate
perfectly with global initiatives in the worldwide
struggle against the ill effects of climate change, and
therefore deserve the international community’s
support.
Moreover, in October Chad will host the eighth
World Forum of Sustainable Development, whose
theme will be “Save Lake Chad”. Lake Chad, part of
world heritage, is in danger of disappearing; it has
shrunk from 25,000 square kilometres to less than
2,500 square kilometres in 40 years, and is a typical
example of the disastrous consequences of climate
change. I take this opportunity to invite all people of
good will to take part in the Forum in large numbers.
In regard to international issues and the alarming
increase in terrorist activities in several regions of
Africa and throughout the world, we express our total
condemnation of the gratuitous violence that threatens
the peaceful and calm existence of innocent citizens.
I turn to the issue of Israel and Palestine. We
remain constant in our support for this Organization
and the Government of the United States with regard to
reaching a peace agreement allowing the peaceful
coexistence of two sovereign States. To that end, we
support President Barack Obama in his courageous
initiative with the two parties. We sincerely hope that
his mission will succeed.
Our world has changed considerably over the past
20 years. Peoples and States aspire to greater well-
being, freedom and justice. Our common Organization
must treat those aspirations as part of its primary
vocation. My country therefore again calls on the
Assembly to work for Security Council reform, without
delay, in order to integrate Africa. The international
community must not accept the marginalization of the
African continent, which has so much to offer to the
world.