Statement by Deputy Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the United Nations Saša Jurečko at the briefing on the situation in the Central African Republic

Thank you, Mr. President,

I would like to express my gratitude to Special Representative Rugwabiza and Ambassador Hilale for their detailed briefings today. I would also like to welcome the Permanent Representative of the Central African Republic to this meeting. Allow me also to pay tribute to the troop and police contributing countries to MINUSCA for their dedication and their sacrifices.  

Mr. President,

The briefings we heard today show that MINUSCA continues to play a vital role in the stabilisation process in the Central African Republic. Slovenia expresses its full support to MINUSCA and the renewal of its mandate. In this regard, I would like to address three points that in our view warrant special attention of this Council.

First, protection of civilians must remain the top priority for the mission as well as the government of the Central African Republic. We remain deeply concerned about the ongoing violence by armed groups in the country as well as its impact on humanitarian conditions, including suspension of humanitarian operations in some regions due to security concerns. We call for the full respect of international humanitarian and human rights law. We welcome the announcement of the leader of UPC to cease violence and engage in dialogue with the government. We urge all armed groups to follow suit, join the peace process and engage with DDRR programmes. However, recruitment of recently disarmed and demobilised fighters outside of the national framework and without proper vetting procedures, could endanger the credibility of the peace process and have a detrimental effect to the long term security and stability of the country. We encourage MINUSCA to continue to support humanitarian actors, including those implementing health and protection programmes for local populations, who have suspended their activities due to security concerns.

We further encourage MINUSCA to improve its communication and outreach strategies, especially in relation to civilians and local communities living in remote areas, in order to raise better awareness and understanding of the mission’s mandate and counter the rise of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech.

Second, we commend MINUSCA’s initiatives in extending state authority, including infrastructure rehabilitation projects. Construction of new roads, bridges and other civilian infrastructure do not only provide the conditions for the deployment of civil administration and national defence and security forces, but in the long run also build a positive legacy by contributing to economic development of the country and provide important economic dividends. Slovenia welcomes the continuation of MINUSCA’s training and facilitation of deployment of internal security forces.  In this regard, we would like to inform, that the mandate of the EU advisory mission in the Central African Republic with the objective of supporting reform of the internal security forces, has just been extended for further two years. The European Union, of which Slovenia is a member, will remain a key partner to the Central African Republic.

Third, MINUSCA should continue its electoral support to the Central African Republic, as recommended by the UN electoral needs assessment team. We take note of the continued efforts of the government of the Central African Republic to organise local, presidential and legislative elections. In this regard, we encourage the government of the Central African Republic to ensure that all electoral processes are safe, inclusive and credible, and to protect civilians from any potential security threats. This calls for further engagement with all political parties, full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women and youth as voters and candidates, and registration of all eligible voters, including IDPs and refugees to enable their participation in elections.

Finally, we share the concern expressed by SRSG Rugwabiza, that the mission cannot execute its many tasks without the timely availability of the approved peacekeeping budget. In this regard, we encourage all member states to honour their financial commitments.

Mr. President,

We take note of the Independent Strategic Review of MINUSCA and the recommendations contained therein. They will guide us in our discussions to adopt a mandate that will enable MINUSCA to continue assisting and supporting the Central African Republic.

I thank you.

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