Burundi, 2025

I now give the floor to His Excellency Edouard Bizimana, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Development Cooperation of Burundi. President, Secretary-General, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am taking the floor today on behalf of the President of the Republic of Burundi, His Excellency Evariste Néderchimier, who bestowed upon me the honour of representing him at this Assembly and to share the views of Burundi. Today as we mark the 80th anniversary of our organisation, something that we are celebrating under the theme of Better Together, 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights. Allow me, first of all, to warmly congratulate Ms Annalena Baerbock for her outstanding election to preside over the 80th session of the General Assembly and I assure her that she has the support of Burundi. I would also like to take this opportunity to pay a well-deserved tribute to your predecessor, my brother Philemon Yang, and pay tribute to his admirable personal and professional qualities and thank him for the exceptionally professional way in which he presided over the 79th session, which we have just successfully concluded. Finally, I would like to commend the courage of Mr Antonio Guterres, who, for as long as he has been Secretary-General of our organisation, has always advocated for the reform of the UN system to make it more effective and more credible. He also has the support and encouragement of Burundi. Eighty years ago, the United Nations was born to a world ravaged by war. Its main mission was to preserve peace and foster cooperation between states and promote human rights. However, given what is happening today in some parts of the world, we should really be asking ourselves if the UN is still on this trajectory. Today, as we are marking this anniversary, I am honoured to reaffirm Burundi's commitment to these founding ideals, the same ideals that have guided the UN's charter since 1945. That shows the importance of the theme that is bringing us together this year, far from being simply a slogan. It is indeed, it throws back to a historic need, a moral commitment, and indeed the only path towards a shared future. Indeed, as long as it has existed, the UN has made a great contribution to maintaining peace. It has supported ways of decolonisation, it has promoted international law, as well as the universality of human rights. It has fostered cooperation between nations and inspired generations of leaders and people. Burundi, which was once a beneficiary of this international solidarity, today is actively contributing to it, whether this be through peacekeeping troops, diplomatic engagement, or indeed using its voice within multilateral fora. Also, Burundi is a real-life example of resilience and of the return of peace. Our nation has gone through very difficult moments, but through and thanks to the will of its people and its strengthened institutions, Burundi was able to turn the page on conflict and choosing to set the path of reconciliation, stability, and mutual respect. We created National Transitional Justice Mechanisms with a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which is painstakingly and courageously continuing its work so that future generations will be able to build on solid foundations without hatred or any search for vengeance. As part of our candidate to be a Human Rights Council, we will stand against any politicisation of human rights. Thus, we denounce special mechanisms, which are sometimes imposed on some countries, including Burundi, for rather subjective reasons. This is why I reiterate Burundi's request to withdraw the initiative to extend the mandate of the famous Human Rights Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, who for ten years has been publishing subjective and biased reports on Burundi, as if Burundi and indeed time had stood still over the last ten years. In Burundi, President, we have undertaken significant efforts to strengthen the rule of law, fight impunity, and promote civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. Notable progress has been recognised by several partners, bilateral and multilateral partners, that is, as is shown by our constructive cooperation with multilateral partners. However, the Special Rapporteur seems to not have noticed this progress. But as we all know, peace is only sustainable if development is there too. That's why Burundi has resolutely committed to implement the SDGs, paying particular attention to agriculture in order to create real food security. We are also focusing on education for all, health care, energy, the empowerment of women and young people, environmental protection and other areas. This is the spirit that inspired our vision for Burundi with an emerging economy by 2040 and a developed economy by 2060. This vision is fully in line with the SDGs and it is indeed, it shows our will to build a future where every citizen can prosper and actively contribute to the sustainable development of their country. President, ladies and gentlemen, as we celebrate eight decades of our shared organisation, we cannot close our eyes or turn our back on the tension, ongoing or latent conflicts, the horrors that we are seeing in Gaza, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Sudan, in the Sahel and in many other areas of the planet. Violence that we have been seeing recently, particularly the indifference and the cynicism that seem to be accompanying it, have reached such heights that we can't help but wonder where our humanity, where our empathy, where our sense of duty have gone. What happened to our commitment to cooperate for a better world? We need to have a heart of stone to remain indifferent to the suffering of the people in the DRC and in Gaza. Faced with this situation, Burundi believes that only a renewed and fair multilateralism can provide lasting responses to the many crises that we are facing. Geopolitical manoeuvring calculations based on indifference, inaction or on double standards or on egotism are dragging us into the abyss. This is why Burundi is appealing for peace. But for real peace. Not a peace that is selective, not one that is subject to egotistical self-serving interests. The peace that Burundi wants to see is a peace that is based on international law, on dialogue and the respect of state sovereignty. President, neither peace nor human rights can prosper without social justice and without equality between nations. This is why Burundi stands side by side with its African partners and advocates for more just representation of Africa within decision-making bodies, particularly the Security Council. This is a condition for its legitimacy and effectiveness. How can an entire continent that has made such a contribution to the life and efforts of the UN be ignored in this way? Africa remains the only continent that for 80 years now has not had a permanent seat at the Security Council. In this connection, Burundi welcomes the ambitious UN80 initiative, the initiative that seeks to strengthen effectiveness, coherence and relevance of the UN system. We share the conviction that 80 years after its creation, our organisation needs audacious and lucid modernisation. However, we wish to underscore the concerns expressed by a number of numerous countries in the global south, particularly countries in Africa. It is crucial that this reform be member-state led, guided by a spirit of geographical representation, transparency, multilingualism and the respect for regional priorities. Development, social and economic rights, the fight against inequality, climate action and international solidarity must never be sidelined in the name of streamlining. A more effective UN, yes. A UN that is just reduced to budgets and technocratic work, no. Moreover, no reform of the UN system would overcome the question of political governance. We would recall that the Security Council reform has been worked on for decades. It now is a question of justice. Africa has a united voice on this issue in the Erzelwini consensus, is demanding that the historic injustice be corrected so that Africa can be fairly represented in decision-making bodies. It is not a favour, but it is a right if we want the UN to remain loyal to itself. In summary, Burundi is supporting ambitious reform, but as long as it is inclusive, just, balanced and focused on the real needs of people, rather than being a reform that is fashioned by external priorities. Mr President, as we work to reform multilateralism, guided by justice, dialogue and truth, the recognition of historic injustice should be the bedrock upon which we build lasting peace. This is why Burundi would like to reaffirm the importance of the recognition of the genocide committed against the Hutu of Burundi in 1972. This is a question that has already been brought to the attention of this UN General Assembly during the 79th session. The memory, truth and reconciliation are powerful tools to rebuild society and to build peace. Silence cannot be an option when we are talking about restoring the dignity of victims and preventing tragedies of the past from happening again. Thus, Burundi would humbly request the support of all UN Member States and support for the recognition of this genocide. Before I conclude, President, I wish to reaffirm Burundi's will and its appeal to walk together towards a common future. This 80th session is a lot more than simply an anniversary. It's an appeal. We are at a crossroads and the 80th session of our General Assembly must be a time for a moral awakening, solidarity and for us to remember our shared humanity. The UN of tomorrow must be one that represents equity, justice and action. We must reflect the realities of our world today to ensure that all voices are heard so that we can build lasting peace for present and future generations, as stipulated in the parable of the UN Charter. Burundi is ready to continue to make its active contribution to establishing and maintaining peace, to consolidating the values of fair and inclusive development, as well as solidarity, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. Because yes, together, better together, we will be able to preserve peace, guarantee human rights and ensure a dignified future for our children. It is a question of the credibility and reputation of our shared organisation. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Development, Corporation of Burundi.