**Mr President of the General Assembly,**
**Mr Secretary-General of the United Nations,**
**Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,**
**Ministers, Ambassadors, Dear Friends,**
First and foremost, I wish to express my great admiration for Mr Philémon Yang, a highly respected figure on the African continent, who was brilliantly elected to preside over our Assembly, and whom we have seen lead our debates with remarkable skill.
**Mr President,**
Our world—as many speakers have noted from this very podium—is indeed at a crossroads. It is caught in a tragic spiral of overlapping crises and dangerous conflicts that often seem irreconcilable.
Indeed, armed conflicts and wars of various kinds—in Ukraine, Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan, the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo—this list, sadly, is not exhaustive—along with the climate crisis, the crushing burden of debt, and the apocalyptic threat of nuclear war, constitute existential challenges that test whatever remains of human wisdom, and force us to question our moral compass.
**Mr President,**
All of these crises—as everyone in this hall is aware—are largely the product and reflection of human vanity. They are manifestations of an unrelenting desire in some quarters to dominate absolutely, to possess absolutely.
This harmful vice is undoubtedly rooted in the very genesis of humanity, yet we have still not managed to eradicate it.
From this podium, in the name of peace, I call for restraint from all those who hold political power across the world.
In the name of peace, I call for wisdom—that cardinal virtue once championed by the Ancients in all our societies: in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Pacific.
In the name of peace, I call for the full realisation that we are one human race, on a shared journey aboard the same vessel, bound by a common destiny and by mutual obligations and shared responsibilities.
I appeal to the ideal of **universal fraternity**, that generous dream elevated during the Enlightenment and which inspired the **1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights**—the creed of all humanists.
**Mr President,**
Our world is in vital need of peace. Without it, it is heading straight toward ruin. **Peace is not an option.** It cannot be an alternative. **Peace is an imperative.** And that imperative must apply to all people, everywhere, at all times.
This very imperative of peace, Mr President, underpins the **mediation efforts of the African Union in Libya**, where President **Denis Sassou N’Guesso** has tirelessly invested himself for years to promote general calm and inclusive reconciliation.
Thanks to perseverance and determination, the **African Union High-Level Committee on Libya**, which he chairs, has succeeded in bringing the country’s former enemies to the same negotiating table. This committee has encouraged dialogue, forgiveness, and the primacy of **justice**—the cornerstone of the rule of law so dearly desired by a Libya rising from the ashes, like the invincible Phoenix.
This long-sought and patiently nurtured peace is now nearing a decisive moment: the **formal signing of a “Charter of Reconciliation” in Addis Ababa by all parties.** This will open the path to long-awaited, free, and democratic general elections.
**Mr President,**
The renewal of **multilateralism**, underlying the recently adopted **Pact for the Future**, must naturally involve the affirmation of a **multipolar world**—one that reflects the diversity of cultural expressions. It must be a world that is **just, stable and equitable**, where all peoples coexist without distinction of race, tradition, or religion.
This makes it urgently necessary to **reform the international institutions** born out of the Second World War, starting with the **United Nations Security Council**, which must better reflect our cosmopolitan world through **fairer representation of peoples.**
This is the time to reiterate Africa’s legitimate demand for **two permanent seats with veto power** on the Council. In this regard, the Republic of the Congo reaffirms the **centrality and enduring relevance of the Common African Position**, as set out in the **Ezulwini Consensus** and the **Sirte Declaration**.
**The time has come**, Mr President, for Africa to take its full place on the world stage. It is up to us—representatives of allied nations present here—to **choose honour**.
It is up to us to **enter history through the front door**, turning our backs once and for all on **mediaeval prejudices and outdated stereotypes** about Africa.
It is up to us to **deepen our shared values**, those same values that shape the true course of human history.
**Mr President,**
There can be **no sustainable development on any continent** if our planet is not protected from environmental destruction. **Climate change is now an existential threat.**
This threat, as we know, is multidimensional: rising temperatures, melting glaciers, devastating floods, spreading desertification, the collapse of biodiversity, the eruption of epidemics, and the displacement of populations—these are all stark signs of the fragility now defining our beautiful blue planet.
The international community has **no choice but to act**—to act here and now, decisively and responsibly—to prevent an irreversible cataclysm.
One key avenue for such action is, of course, **smart afforestation and widespread reforestation**. Everyone must contribute to this effort. The **Republic of the Congo and the African Union** come to this 79th General Assembly with a well-crafted strategy that my delegation has already submitted for committee consideration as a **draft resolution**.
This strategy—which I hope will earn the support of this Assembly—aims to **substantially, progressively and irreversibly increase global forest cover**, through international cooperation that harmonises afforestation and reforestation activities across the globe. This must be done in a spirit of **solidarity, coordination, consultation and consensus** among States.
**Mr President,**
I cannot leave this podium without returning to a matter that continuously pricks our conscience—**a situation we cannot ignore in good faith**. I speak of the **long-standing embargo imposed on Cuba**.
An embargo whose duration is approaching a century. An embargo that inflicts **unspeakable suffering** on innocent people. Long ago, Mr President—even many Americans now consider this blockade **anachronistic**—this embargo should have been **completely and unconditionally lifted.**
Once again, I appeal to the wisdom of the **American people** and the discernment of their leaders—most of whom, as we know, had no role in this **Cold War relic**.
I urge the **United States Government** to turn this painful page in the history of two nations—both born of rich cultural exchanges between Europe, Africa, and pre-Columbian America.
To conclude, Mr President,
**Ladies and Gentlemen,**
I express the hope that all the world’s peoples will commit themselves to the emergence of a new Humanity:
- A **peaceful Humanity**, that turns its back on war and death, and chooses solidarity;
- An **authentic Humanity**, that ruthlessly confronts the **scourge of endemic poverty**, which ravages the developing world, acts as a global cancer, and fuels the frustration and violence darkening the horizon of hope;
- And finally, a **fraternal, rainbow Humanity**, as imagined by the great artist **John Lennon** here in New York, and as dreamed of from a prison cell by **Nelson Mandela**.
**Thank you.**