Chad, 2010

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

15 10-55276

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.

10-55276 16

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.