Senegal congratulates President Abdulla Shahid and wishes him every success during his presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-sixth session. I should like to once again congratulate the Secretary-General on his reappointment and wish him every success in the exercise of his mission for the benefit of Member States.
The theme of this session is a reminder of the magnitude and the urgency of the challenges that we must overcome in order to bring about a better and safer world. That is most urgent in the Sahel, where terrorist groups continue to wage attacks and to engage in deadly looting, targeting innocent peoples. As a contributor of 1,350 troops to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), Senegal stands in solidarity with those fraternal countries that are enduring tremendous difficulties. We continue to advocate for MINUSMA to be given a robust mandate to effectively combat terrorist groups. Moreover, it is vital that Group of Five for the Sahel States enjoy adequate support in their vital struggle against terrorism.
Wherever it may take root, terrorism remains a global threat, and the United Nations system of collective security must fight it. We cannot allow Africa to become a safe haven for international terrorism.
In the Middle East, Senegal reiterates its call for the Palestinian people’s right to a viable State coexisting in peace with the State of Israel, each within secure and internationally recognized borders. There is also an urgent need to combat the devastating health-related and economic and social fallout from the coronavirus disease pandemic. Senegal engaged in transparent management of the pandemic as soon as it emerged, on 2 March 2020, by publishing a daily situation report. Moreover, we have deployed an economic and social resilience programme to the tune of $2 billion to support households, businesses, workers and our diaspora; significantly expanded the medical resources available to individuals; provided free tests and care; and acquired vaccines.
I wish to thank partner countries and institutions for their support in our fight against the pandemic. I applaud the spirit of solidarity and the generous surge of support provided through the Coronavirus Disease Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility initiative. Those significant efforts notwithstanding, there is a growing divide between vaccinated countries in the north and non-vaccinated countries in the South, which will only set back efforts to eradicate the pandemic and achieve a return to normal life for all.
An each man for himself mentality will not end the pandemic. Nobody will be safe if the virus and its variants continue to circulate anywhere in the world. Only a global response facilitating access for all to vaccines can put an end to this global scourge. In that spirit, I wish to thank partner countries and institutions that have been supporting the vaccine production project of the Pasteur Institute in Dakar, a major initiative servicing Africa. Senegal will contribute to the financing of the project via part of our special drawing rights.
At the same time, it is incumbent upon us to persevere in our efforts to achieve economic recovery. That is the thrust of the “New Deal” for Africa, which was an outcome of the 18 May summit in Paris on financing for African economies. Thanks to the consensus that prevailed at the Group of 20, the first goal of the summit was achieved with a historic allocation of special drawing rights to the tune of $650 billion. I applaud the diligent approach of Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, in the implementation of that consensual decision.
Africa was able to receive a share of only $33 billion to shore up its health-related resilience, partly mitigate the impact of the crisis and launch its economic recovery. That is a significant step forward that should be welcomed. Yet in the light of the tremendous impact of the crisis, Africa needs additional financing of at least $252 billion by 2025 to mitigate the fallout and launch its economic recovery.
Let us work together to achieve the second goal set in Paris: to reallocate to African countries, in line with modalities to be agreed upon, $67 billion mobilized through the special drawing rights quotas of consenting wealthy countries, in order to achieve the agreed-upon $100 billion threshold. We can achieve that by preserving the transparent, trust-based dialogue that is already under way. In that way, we can lay the foundation for a New Deal for Africa through a reformed global economic and financial governance that is more fair and more inclusive. Such a New Deal is possible if we see to it that the relationship structures with our continent are based more on partnership than on official development assistance.
Clearly assistance alone cannot meet the needs of a continent of more than 1 billion people where a great deal is yet to be built. Beyond those domestic efforts, the Africa to which its people aspire most of all needs access to adequate concessional and mixed resources in the form of loans to finance the sectors that are vital to its economic growth. These include, inter alia, infrastructure, energy, agriculture and industry, as well as water, sanitation, health, education and training.
To that end, a New Deal for Africa should help to overcome the deterministic mindset that has hampered the continent’s access to those resources. I call upon partner countries and institutions to work with us to relax the rules of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to harness Africa’s investment potential. Each of us has a role to play, because the investment needs of Africa that is being built are shared opportunities for growth and prosperity.
Likewise, seventy-six years after the creation of our Organization, reform of the United Nations is necessary. The multilateral system inspires confidence so long as it brings together and reflects the aspirations and interests of all stakeholders. It is high time for the composition of the Security Council to reflect the realities of the twenty-first-century United Nations in all of its diversity, not the reality of the obsolete post- World War landscape. Senegal therefore reaffirms its commitment to the Common African Position as set out in the Ezulwini Consensus.
Building our shared future also means taking care of our planet, in line with the principle of shared but differentiated responsibility given the ravages of global warming. Under our nationally determined contribution, Senegal is pursuing its efforts towards an energy transition, with the goal of basing more than 30 per cent of installed electrical capacity on renewable energy. That will be shored up by the solar electrification project under way for 1,000 villages, in line with the partnership for the Green Climate Fund and the West African Development Bank.
Ultimately, thanks to the gas-to-power strategy, we are seeking to achieve the goal of 100 per cent clean
energy through the forthcoming use of gas resources. But our countries cannot achieve an energy transition or abandon the polluting practices of industrialized nations without a viable, fair and equitable alternative. Natural-gas use as a transition energy should be maintained. That is why Senegal believes that an end to financing for the gas sector under the pretext that gas is a fossil fuel, without accounting for the fact that it is also an especially clean energy, would represent a major obstacle to our efforts to achieve an energy transition, universal access to electricity, competitiveness and economic and social development.
Our countries, which are already shouldering the overwhelming burden of an uneven exchange, should not be expected to shoulder also the burden of an uneven energy transition; hence I would call for gas-financing mechanisms to be maintained as a transition energy.
We face another important challenge: the status of women worldwide. As we have just commemorated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, with the Generation Equality initiative, we know that progress has been achieved. However, we are cognizant in particular of the long road that lies between us and the goal of eliminating all forms of inequality, discrimination and violence against women and girls. It is not acceptable for women and girls, who represent half of humankind, to continue to endure such treatment in the twenty-first century. Senegal therefore in January 2020 criminalized acts of rape and paedophilia.
As we continue the overarching mobilization for women’s protection and empowerment, we must also focus on that of young people, including through the promotion of inclusive financing and resource allocation under the Global Financing Facility campaign initiated by the World Bank.
These are without a doubt difficult and uncertain times. However, let us nourish the hope mentioned in the theme of this session. To achieve that, we must act bearing in mind the fact that the United Nations was built on the promise of a better world, one governed by the principles of the sovereignty of, cooperation among and the diversity of peoples. It is faith in those ideals that has brought the representatives of peoples to this Hall for the past 76 years. Consequently, every blow to sovereignty, cooperation and diversity represents a blow to our shared ideals and to our reason for being here. A world weary of the blight of war, isolationism, environmental destruction and material servitude is headed for a fall. The promise of a better world for all blossoms in the soil of dialogue and mutual respect, not in the dogma of conformism and cultural and civilizational contempt. It blossoms in a spirit of openness, respect and care for the other, in easing the plight of the hungry, the thirsty, the sick and those who lack education.
To that end, we cannot be satisfied merely with empty promises. It is our duty to work for a future of fulfilled promises. Such a future requires that we lay down our weapons, manifest greater solidarity, protect our environment, cultivate our shared values, and accept and respect our differences by abandoning civilizational dicta.
It is thus that we will bring forth the world of our dreams, a world of coexistence — a better world for all. I wish the General Assembly every success at its seventy-sixth session.