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Mr. President,

I would like to welcome the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Central African Republic, H.E. Ms. Sylvie Baïpo-Temon, at today's meeting.

I would like to thank USG Lacroix, Ambassador Chergui, and Mr. Vervaeke for their insightful briefings.

Mr. President,

It is encouraging to see the positive developments in the Central African Republic with regard to the implementation of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement. We commend the efforts made by the Government of the Central African Republic in this regard. It is vital that this momentum be maintained, especially at the present crucial juncture with the important elections approaching.

We are therefore deeply troubled by continued violations of the Agreement, which may undermine the recent achievements, as well as the ongoing acts of violence committed by armed groups threatening the safety and livelihood of civilians.

Against this backdrop, we would like to stress the following points:

Firstly, we call on all signatories to fully respect the Agreement and work towards a favourable political climate by building trust and constructively engaging in dialogues. This will pave the way for the success of the upcoming presidential and legislative elections – a critical juncture to bring about peace, stability and sustainable development for the people of the Central African Republic. We support the call of the Secretary-General for a ceasefire in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and urge all parties to heed this call.

Secondly, we stress the importance of continued support for Central African Republic, both technically and financially, to continue its peace process and electoral preparations as well as strengthen its capacity to protect civilians, address humanitarian challenges, minimize the impact of COVID-19, etc.

We commend and express our support for the contribution of the African Union and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) as the guarantors of the Agreement, MINUSCA as well as other international and regional partners.

Thirdly, we would like to emphasize the importance of ensuring safety and security of peacekeepers and humanitarian workers. They are on the ground to help and should never be targets of attacks.

I thank you, Mr. President./.

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