Chad, 2012

At the

outset, allow me on behalf of the Chadian delevation

to wholeheartedly thank the President for selecting

the theme for the sixty-seventh session of the General

Assembly, “Bringing about adjustment or settlement of

international disputes or situations by peaceful means”.

That subject is at the very heart of the principles that

underlie the existence of our Organization, and reflects

the global concerns of our day.

Indeed, the world is in an period of unprecedented

tension, perhaps even more serious than that following

the Cold War. From Afghanistan to Mali; from Pakistan

to Somalia; from Libya to Syria; and from the Israeli-

Palestinian conflict to that of the Sudan and South

Sudan, most of the crises that have recently shaken and

continue to shake our planet, while undoubtedly rooted

in political and social claims, also have considerable

religious and cultural undertones that are often difficult

to address.

Africa is the crucible of all the scourges affecting

the world. The war and attacks in Somalia, the situation

in Mali, the crises in the Democratic Republic of the

Congo and between the two Sudans, violence in

Libya and outbreaks in Côte d’Ivoire and the Central

African Republic are situations which many attempts to

resolve have proved ineffective. Based on the principle

that without peace and security development is not

possible, the international community, embodied in the

United Nations, has the firm obligation to contribute to establishing peace by making use of all the legal

mechanisms at its disposal for settling conflict.

The Organization has been particularly active

in recent years in different theatres of conflict, such

as Afghanistan, Darfur, Côte d’Ivoire, Libya and the

Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since its inception,

the United Nations has never been so involved in different

hotbeds of tension around the world. We commend that

presence because of its calming and legitimizing effect

on populations and even on protagonists. However,

we also need to ponder the form and effectiveness of

that presence. The stalemate in the Israeli-Palestinian

conflict and the crisis in the Democratic Republic of

the Congo, despite the massive and costly deployments

of the forces mandated by the United Nations, clearly

reflect the inability of the international community to

impose peace where it is necessary.

The crisis in Mali comes as a test and a challenge

for the international community. Along with that crisis,

obscurantist and violent religious fundamentalism,

drug and human trafficking and irredentist claims

have taken root in the very heart of Africa today. Can

the world continue to stand by for much longer given

that that gangrene, of which Mali is only the epicentre,

threatens to spread throughout the entire Sahel?

Our delegation commends the determination

of the international community seen at the high-

level meeting on the Sahel that was organized on the

initiative of the Secretary-General. We commend the

commitments of France, the Economic Community of

West African States and above all those of the primary

party concerned, namely, Mali, to act to eradicate that

gangrene. The United Nations, too, needs to expedite

procedures and act quickly by adopting a resolution that

would authorize the intervention of an international

military force.

I would like to take advantage of my presence at

this rostrum to warmly commend Mr. Omer Hassan

A. Al-Bashir of the Sudan and Mr. Salva Kiir of South

Sudan, who overcame their differences and reached

a peace and security agreement, albeit partial. We

sincerely hope that the agreement will quickly lead

to a final understanding, which is so necessary to the

progress of the countries and to the stability of the

subregion.

It is my pleasure to inform the Assembly that within

the framework of subregional initiatives with respect to

peace and security in the Sahel, the member countries of the Community of Sahelo-Saharan States (CEN-SAD)

have undertaken a reform of our organization, which

will incorporate peace and security dimensions into its

updated texts. The President of the Republic of Chad,

Mr. Idriss Deby Itno, has invited his colleagues from

member countries to a summit meeting in N’Djamena

on 29 November to adopt new texts aimed at refocusing

CEN-SAD’s objectives on the specific concerns of the

region.

The ability of extremist groups to cause harm

across borders calls for a collective and appropriate

response. Our community, CEN-SAD, which includes

almost all of the countries of the Sahel and the Saraha,

seems to be the appropriate structure in which to bring

together all our response strategies.

Drawing on lessons from the difficulties experienced

by the United Nations on the ground, Chad requested

the departure in 2010 of the United Nations Mission in

the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT).

The Mission had been mandated to stabilize the region

and protect Sudanese refugee camps in Darfur and

those of internally displaced persons in eastern Chad.

Despite a huge budget and considerable resources, that

force did not prove to be an effective deterrent. It left the

bulk of the work to the Détachement intégré de sécurité

(DIS), a special national Chadian force made up 600

men and women. After MINURCAT’s departure,

Chad decided to entrust DIS with the protection of

refugees and displaced persons and any humanitarian

organizations that provided assistance. A joint support

programme for DIS was signed in February 2011 in

order to mobilize the necessary logistical financial

support to enable it to operate. The overall budget was

estimated to be $20 million, about 2 per cent of the

budget allocated to MINURCAT, which, I would remind

the Assembly, amounted to some $800 million per year.

That support has not yet been forthcoming, and Chad

has been bearing the cost of the unit alone, estimated

at about $4 million per year. I would also remind the

Assembly that the responsibility of providing security

to refugees, displaced persons and humanitarian

organizations living in that region cannot and should

not be left to Chad alone. The international community

has the obligation to consider that issue and address

it. That is why Chad is reiterating the special appeal

it launched from this rostrum last year, requesting our

Organization to take heed.

Africa sorely needs international solidarity, not

only to settle the conflicts and crises sweeping through it, but also for its development. In both cases, the results

have been disappointing. The Millennium Development

Goals, official development assistance and debt relief,

in sum all of the commitments made in that regard,

have either not been met or have been met only

halfway. We would remind the Assembly that poverty,

unemployment and, at times, despair are the scourges

that push young Africans to extremism and to seek

better prospects elsewhere. Africa needs assistance on

a large scale, not in small doses, in order to help those

young people and give them new confidence in their

continent. This would not absolve the African States

from shouldering their primary responsibility to create

the right conditions for progress and prosperity.

For its part, my country, Chad, under the

leadership of President Idriss Deby Itno, is continuing

the necessary political and economic reforms for its

development and stability. We have just held the first

municipal elections in our political history, and there

were presidential and legislative elections in 2011. In

addition, we are reviewing ways of establishing new

arrangements for political dialogue with the democratic

opposition, similar to those which enabled us to hold

the latest elections in a calm and tranquil environment.

For that reason, we are patiently working to

consolidate the rule of law and strengthen the values of

tolerance and democracy within Chadian society. That

is a long and arduous process in a country that has just

been through three decades of violence and political

instability. With stability restored and socioeconomic

progress achieved, Chad would like to make its modest

contribution to building a world of justice and peace.

For that reason, my country is for the first time a

candidate for a non-permanent seat in the Security

Council during the elections of October 2013.

The efforts undertaken by my country have,

however, been hampered by unexpected events: first,

the crisis in Libya, which required us to strengthen

security along the borders with that country, in addition

to our efforts to secure our borders with the Sudan, the

Central African Republic and the Lake Chad region that

borders Nigeria and the Niger; secondly, the arrival of

nearly 100,000 Chadians who had f led the war in Libya,

the majority of whom were young people needing help

with reintegration; and, thirdly, the current f loods,

caused by exceptionally heavy rains. The Government’s

appeal for help for the victims of the disaster has not yet

received the expected response. Despite all those constraints and the sacrifices

undertaken by Chad, we have not been able to benefit

from the debt relief that comes with reaching the

completion point. We therefore call on our bilateral and

multilateral partners to take into account our unique

situation and support us as we move forward.

The theme of our session this year reminds us that

all of the formulas that have been used to address the

Israeli-Palestinian conflict have failed. As the crisis

goes on and on, it is becoming accepted; yet, it is at the

very root of the worst violence the world has seen in

recent years. The community of nations cannot behave

like an ostrich indefinitely, allowing a crisis as old as the

United Nations itself to drag on interminably — a crisis

which is a constant threat to peace and the regional and

global balance. Here, too, old postures need to change

and robust initiatives need to be taken to put an end to

the conflict, which has gone on far too long.

The international realities of our time should also

strengthen our determination to bring about the reform

of the Security Council. The primary innovation should

be to expand its membership, with the admission of

Africa as a permanent member with the right of veto.

The world has greatly changed. We therefore need to

adapt our global governance to these developments.

In conclusion, the delegation of Chad, through

me, would like to express how much we admire the

newly elected President’s steering of the work of the

General Assembly. We also would like to pay tribute to

the Secretary-General for his personal commitment in

the quest for peace worldwide. We firmly hope that his

efforts will be successful and bring about more justice

and serenity for humankind.