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For more than three decades, this Assembly has said that the economic embargo imposed on Cuba must end. Whatever disagreements exist, the collective punishment of an entire population denying medicine, denying trade, denying fuel, denying ordinary development cannot be reconciled with the charter we all signed. My government adds its voice to a call renewed year after year in this hall, for the embargo to end. When a devastating earthquake struck Venezuela earlier this year, claiming thousands of lives, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines stood up in solidarity, contributing emergency assistance through a coordinated CARICOM relief effort.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are concerned by the unjust manner and indicative of great human insensitivity in which Cuba has been treated over decades as a victim of an embargo that continues and worsens the living conditions of the Cuban people. Cuba is not a terrorist state. It neither produces nor possesses nuclear weapons, chemical or bacteriological weapons that could constitute an imminent or real threat to the national security of other countries, including the neighboring countries. On the contrary, Cuba contributed to the fall of South Africa's racist and segregationist apartheid regime a regime broadly and unanimously condemned by the international community and consequently became one of the signatories to the Quadripartite agreement of New York of 22nd December 1988. As the embargo is chiefly responsible for the calamitous situation in which Cuba and the Cuban people find themselves, and since it is inhumane, unfair and violates all the principles and norms of international law, we once again call for the end to the embargo against Cuba.
We will work with all Member States to advance essential consensus based priorities for Guinea-Bissau as a developing country, multilateralism and respect for international law are not mere concepts. They are an existential necessity. Ladies and gentlemen, Guinea-Bissau follows with concern the humanitarian consequences of the measures imposed against Cuba. We therefore reiterate our call for the lifting of the economic commercial and financial embargo, as well as other restrictive measures that affect the Cuban people and essential sectors of that country's economy.
Gabon, therefore welcomes the adoption of UN General Assembly Resolution 80/250 on the African slave trade, characterizing it as the gravest crime against humanity. An organization that delivers results must also be able to reform itself from within. The UN must therefore demonstrate its ability to adapt to the international context and effectively address the challenges facing the world. This commitment to institutional transformation must take into account the urgent need to reform the Security Council. Indeed, Africa must take its rightful place within the very restricted circle of permanent members. For Gabon, there can be no legitimate global governance without equitable African participation in decisions concerning international peace and security. Mr. president, Gabon's vision is one of inclusive and reformed multilateralism that takes into account the aspirations of peoples, particularly women and young people. It is within this framework that the fundamental right of every state to chart its own course must be guaranteed. And pursuant to this principle, Gabon here wishes to reaffirm its support for Cuba. Gabon joins the repeated calls by numerous states for the lifting of the embargo. Mr. president, I wish to conclude by saying that Gabon, faithful to its regional and international commitments and confident in a more peaceful future for all founded on trust, intends to contribute to building a new global order that is more peaceful, more just, more equitable and more united. Thank you.
In the same vein, the Lao PDR reiterates its principled position against unilateral coercive measures. The prolonged economic, commercial and financial embargo against the Republic of Cuba continue to inflict hardship on its people. We call for the immediate and unconditional lifting of these sanctions including logistic and energy blockades and removal of Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Such steps are essential first humanitarian measures toward restoring trust and reaffirming the primacy of international law.
One person out of 17 in my country is today a refugee. From this rostrum, I would like to solemnly reiterate and reaffirm Chad's position regarding the Sudanese conflict. Our country has observed since the very first day of the war strict, absolute and unchanged neutrality. I would like to say this very firmly my country does not support any of the parties to the conflict in Sudan, and in no way authorises the use of its territory or its infrastructure to their benefit Chad reiterates its commitment to peace in Sudan and reiterates its support for all initiatives, including those of the quad and the quintet, seeking to establish a ceasefire and to promote dialogue between the warring parties. Your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I cannot now remain silent regarding the serious nature of that which is directly affecting our sovereignty over recent days. The Energy East Province within our country has been the theatre of airstrikes linked to the conflict in Sudan. Chad condemns in the strongest possible terms these new incursions. They are an unacceptable violation of our territorial integrity, and Chad reserves the right to take all necessary measures in line with international law to protect its population and its sovereignty. If this occurs again. Mr. President, Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. I would also, from this rostrum, like to stress how concerned my country is with the crisis in the Gulf region and the repercussions of this on the global economy. Loyal to the principles of the charter, Chad rejects any act of aggression against a sovereign state and condemns. To this end the airstrikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran. And along the same lines. She very firmly condemns the Iranian attacks against the fraternal fraternal countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Jordan, as well as the drone attack on the 29th of July in the Egyptian port of. We would urge all parties to demonstrate restraint and to promote dialogue regarding the Middle East. Chad remains seriously concerned by ongoing violence and humanitarian suffering in Gaza, sticking to its unwavering position, my country reiterates its unfailing commitment to the right of the Palestinian people to have their own state in the 1967 borders, alongside a state of Israel that lives in peace and security. As we do each year on this same occasion. We call once again for the lifting of the economic and trade embargo imposed on Cuba and on its people. Mr. president, Your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the theme Restoring Trust, Managing transformation.
Ladies and gentlemen, renewing peacekeeping operations, without a shadow of a doubt, is our most urgent task. Today, transnational criminal networks control territories, they traffic arms and people, and they recruit children. Haiti, our neighbor, is the clearest example of this. Since 2021, the Dominican Republic has warned in each and every forum that this crisis is a threat to the peace and security of the region, and particularly for my country. A year ago, from this same rostrum, I called upon the council to act without delay. Six days later, the council adopted Resolution 2793 that authorized a Gang Suppression Force with a strong mandate and with the support of a United Nations support office. I thank the United States and Panama for their leadership, as well as Canada and other donors for their support, Kenya for their commitment, and the commitment of all of the countries who today have their men and women serving in Haiti. However, the reality does not allow us to wait. One month ago, in the Haitian community of Kenscoff, in just one night, gangs murdered no less than 47 people, including 5 children. Close to a million and a half of Haitians have been displaced from their homes. Half of them are children. This assembly cannot resign to seeing massacres become the norm for the long-suffering Haitian people. What the council approved now requires the means to implement it. First, the deployment of the force that today is only funded up to a fifth of and only has up to a fifth, rather, of the troops authorized. Second, fulfilling the arms embargo and sanctioning those who are financing and protecting gangs. And thirdly, strengthening the police, the armed forces, and the Haitian justice system so that the security can be sustained. The mandate of the force expires on the 30th of September. It's for the council now to renew it and for the international community to contribute troops and the resources that are required. Renewing it without completing it would be prolonging a promise that's not fulfilled. None of this requires a new decision. The Dominican Republic has played its role. We will not practice a diplomacy of mere declarations, but rather a diplomacy of solutions. We will contribute to building the consensus that made a resolution possible, and we are committing our financial contributions that's proportional for the trust fund of the force and facilitating from our country transit, logistics, and a UN support office. We are cooperating with the sanctions regime and supporting the personnel of the mission in our hospitals. We are doing this because this is, above all, a question of national security for our country, and we must repeat this as clearly as possible: there is no Dominican solution to the Haitian crisis, and no state or organization can impose on our country to do it in their place.
A humanitarian conscience cannot be indifferent to the circumstances of ordinary households, particularly children, the elderly and other vulnerable persons whose difficulty deepens with each passing day that the present impasse remains unresolved. We call for constructive engagement that places the well-being of the Cuban people at its centre, and opens a path toward meaningful relief, improve living conditions and renewed opportunities. This requires Cuba and the United States of America to address the very difficult but not insurmountable challenges of ending of sanctions, the removal of the embargo and blockade against the Cuban people, and, importantly, the necessary reforms required to ensure the continued well-being of the Cuban people. Some of such reforms, Grenada notes, are already being undertaken.
This same commitment is also being engaged in our own region in Latin America and the Caribbean. Mexico will continue to work to preserve the nature of the zone of peace that our peoples created for ourselves and to strengthen cooperation in fora such as CELAC and the Pacific Alliance. Our regional vocation also explains Mexico's position, the position that we have had for more than six decades, and that solidarity with the people of Cuba rejecting the embargo, and any unilateral measure that is against the UN Charter, we will continue to send humanitarian aid to address the most urgent needs of its population, because the fraternity between our nations does not depend on any given situation, uh, in any moment or differences between us. This solidarity is also calling on us to pool our efforts to deal with regional differences on the basis of dialogue and working with one another above and beyond our hemisphere. We are strengthening our links with Asia and Africa, and recently modernized our partnership with the European Union. Uh, confirming the close links between partners. Um, and, um, this doesn't ever mean that, uh we have different distance between other partners either.
Mr. president, as mentioned before, the international community is experiencing profound uncertainty, including energy and food security crises, leading to intensified displacement of many people globally. Armed conflict continued to claim innocent lives while geopolitical tensions escalate. Children are living through unimaginable horrors. The United Nations has not been able to prevent this or to end the continuation, and we have to ponder on that. Other developments, for example in the Strait of Hormuz, demonstrate how quickly wars can affect energy markets suddenly and steeply, increasing the cost of energy, adversely impacting economic and social development in our countries. Common people suffer when food and energy prices rise, so the quality of life of our people is directly threatened, even by wars in regions far from their homes. And we as government, we have to make sure that we try to protect them. Suriname, therefore, calls for a renewed commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN charter, namely, the peaceful resolution of disputes. Dialogue is paramount for safeguarding a solid and proven UN system. The people of Cuba, a Caribbean country, are adversely affected by the current situation in their country. Suriname calls on the parties involved to remain committed to dialogue and negotiation to end the economic commercial and financial embargo. We plea for continuing negotiations in order to prevent further escalation and to reach a resolution that will benefit the people of Cuba.
In this same spirit of peace and respect for people's rights to development, Vietnam has always stood in solidarity with the state and people of Cuba. We call upon the U.S. to end the unilateral embargo and sanctions and the energy blockade against Cuba, and remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. We also call upon the international community to support Cuba in overcoming the sanctions induced crisis. Second, we must advance development that is equitable, humane and inclusive and sustainable.
Your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, we are a defender of peace internationally, and we are therefore call for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine for de-escalation in the Strait of Hormuz, a just and lasting political solution in the Middle East and in Palestine. We call for the stabilization of Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Return of the lasting peace in Sudan, continued reconciliation in Libya, lifting of the embargo against Cuba, restoring of peace and stability in the Sahel. We reaffirm that peace is not weakness, that negotiation is not surrender, that dialogue is not capitulation. And in this spirit, we will continue to prioritize mediation, dialogue and looking for peaceful political solutions so as to build Africa, which is prosperous and peace, from Libya to Sahel, from Sudan to Great Lakes. We reiterate the fact that we are available to accompany our brotherly countries in their work to achieve return to peace and stability.
We further call for an end to the atrocities being committed in Gaza. The establishment of an independent Palestinian state, living side by side with Israel, in peace and security, remains a vital goal that we must collectively pursue. We call for the lifting of the unjustified economic embargo against Cuba, which had far-reaching consequences for the Cuban economy and the well-being of its people, including access to essential goods and services. We call for the end to the energy siege on Cuba and her removal from the unilateral list of states allegedly sponsoring terrorism.
The countries in the region have experienced the horrors of authoritarian regimes. We have come a long way to restore popular will. Democracy is once again under threat. We witness once more interference in the electoral processes. Dividing the world into zones of influence and neocolonial incursions for strategic resources are anachronistic gestures. The Venezuelan people deserve to define their own destiny. Nicaragua will not solve its problems by preventing the opposition from running in the elections. The crisis in Haiti continues to test the limits of the international community's indifference. In Cuba, the world watches in horror as collective punishment is imposed on 10 million people by an illegal economic and energy embargo.
I am asking this assembly to honour its word. And I cannot then fall silent when that word is broken for someone else. For 33 consecutive years, this assembly has called for an end to the embargo against Cuba. Naoero reiterates that call and we encourage dialogue grounded in full respect for sovereignty because sovereign equality must be more than a principle written in the charter.
The government bears the primary responsibility for protecting its citizens, maintaining public order and safeguarding the electoral process. South Sudan, therefore, continues to call for constructive engagements with the Security Council concerning restrictive measures, including the arms embargo. South Sudan objective is not militarisation. The objective is to develop professional, unified discipline and accountable security forces operating under the civilian authority and the rule of law. South Sudan believes that accountability and national capacity should reinforce themselves. We therefore call for the lifting of all restrictive measures. Sanctions must be instruments for achieving clear defined objectives. They should not become permanent substitute for political engagements and institution buildings. Mr. President, South Sudan remains grateful for the contribution of the United Nations mission in South Sudan. We recognise the men and women who served under the United Nations flag, particularly those who have lost their lives in the service of peace. As South Sudan advanced its transition, international engagement must also evolve. President Kiir's vision is not for South Sudan to remain indefinitely dependent upon international peacekeeping. The objective must be a South Sudan capable of sustaining its own peacekeeping. South Sudan, therefore, calls for a greater emphasis on peace building, institutional development, continuous capacity building, and we are also keen to establishing partnership invest in South Sudan police and judiciary, invest in public administration, invest in education and healthcare, invest in infrastructure, invest in women and young people. Invest in institutions that will sustain peace long after peacekeepers have departed. The ultimate measure of a successful peacekeeping should be the establishment of a condition under which peacekeeping is no longer required. South Sudan, therefore, seeks a responsible transition from managing crisis towards building a lasting national capacity. Mr. President, peace cannot be sustained without development. And at independence, South Sudan inherited extremely limited infrastructure and institutional capacity. Nation building, state building and service delivery have therefore have to proceed simultaneously. President Kiir has placed particular emphasis on agriculture, infrastructure, education, healthcare and economic diversification.
Over the last 8 years, my country has opposed all wars of aggression wherever they have started, whether it's in Ukraine, in Lebanon, or in Iran. We have refused to increase our military spending to 5% of GDP, and we've done everything possible to avoid aggressions that run counter to the UN Charter, placing sanctions on the Russian aggressors, imposing an arms embargo on the Netanyahu government in Israel, and prohibiting the use of our territory to deploy an aggression that was against international law, and unequivocally condemning the genocide that Netanyahu is still perpetrating in Gaza. We have also mobilized resources to do more. And in the face of the chainsaws that have cut close to a third of world development aid in just 2 years, Spain has doubled its investment in cooperation and has increased its contribution to the multilateral system by 60%.
Following the Dagalo militias takeover of Al-Fashir and the compelling evidence and testimony presented by the Sultan of the Masalit people to the Security Council, we call upon you to advance legal accountability processes for the perpetrators. This is one of the effective avenues for de-escalation and for curbing the wave of violations committed by the militia, with considerable support from its regional and external sponsors. These continued violations alone undermine the credibility of any political partnership in the political wing of the Rapid Support Forces Militia during the remainder of the transition period, given its continued and reprehensible complicity. The Security Council has failed to condemn and identify the sponsors, thereby contributing to the concealment of those atrocities. These sponsors have also continued to recruit foreign mercenaries and provided political cover for the militias political wing, while fabricating accusations against the Sudanese armed forces, supported by regionally funded platforms backed by the militias sponsors that disseminate disinformation, baseless allegations and fabricated condemnations aimed at tarnishing the reputation of our professional armed forces. Our armed forces have fought alongside the allies during World War Two. The response has been efforts to undermine and destroy the armed forces and to impose sanctions on their leaders and expand the Darfur arms embargo to encompass all of Sudan. This paves the way for the victory of the militia and the foreign mercenaries, who constitute 60% of its members. Throughout this war of aggression, the Sudanese armed forces have adhered to the following principles the protection of civilians in accordance with the approved national plan submitted by Sudan to the Security Council. Distinction at all times between combatants and civilians, and between civilian objects and military targets. Taking precautionary measures to avoid and minimise incidental harm. Refraining from using civilians as human shields. Refraining from recruiting child soldiers, refraining from enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention of civilians, and adhering to humanitarian truces to end the war. Pressure must be exerted on the regional sponsors and certain neighbouring states that have not merely facilitated the transfer of weapons, equipment and supplies to the militia through their territories, but have also created battlefronts and enabled repeated attacks launched by militias and mercenaries from within their territories in broad daylight and established hospitals along their borders to treat militia casualties. Mr. president, the cause of Palestine remains the central issue in the Middle East. The Palestinian people must be empowered to exercise their right to self-determination and establish their independent state, with Jerusalem as its capital, and refugees must be allowed to return in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy. Sudan also stresses the importance of stability in the Red Sea, Bab el Mandeb and the Gulf region. Given their impact on the wider region, there is a need to end the current situation in a manner that spares the peoples of the region, the scourge of war and its consequences. We reaffirm our full support for the countries of the region in preserving their sovereignty, security and stability. We underscore the importance of respect for international law and the charter of the United Nations, and the importance of refraining from interference in the internal affairs of states. Before concluding, allow me to convey to you the greetings of General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, who is at this moment among his people, as they chant in one voice, one army, one people behind their leader.
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No. 19
Burkina Faso09/28 · first at about 19 min1 mention
Mr. president, the Confederation of Sahel States supports the initiatives engaged in as part of the UN80 Initiative, convinced that our organisation must undergo profound transformations in order to respond to contemporary challenges. However, reform should not be a pretext to further reduce the presence of the United Nations in different countries. It must be political, democratic and courageous in the way that it redistributes votes, responsibilities and powers. The reform of the Security Council is something that must not be delayed. It is necessary to strengthen transparency, accountability, put an end to double standards, to adapt this body to geopolitical reality. The Confederation reaffirms its support for the consensus and the Sirte Declaration. The credibility of the UN will depend on its ability to ensure that the charter, international law and the sovereign equality of States are fully respected with the same rigour without distinction. In this regard, the Confederation reiterates our appeal to lift all unilateral coercive actions that are against international law, including the embargo imposed against the Republic of Cuba.
And nowhere is this crisis of credibility more painful than in the ongoing persecution of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank. Mr. speaker, Mr. President, sorry, I was an MP before. Mr. President, the time has come for us to stop using diplomatic euphemisms to veil the human carnage that is taking place in Gaza. How many more lives must be lost before the world acts with decisive moral authority? The blood of five year old Hind Rajab and the more than 20,000 children that have been killed in this brutal conflict, cries out to the conscience of the world. Collective punishment and forced starvation and mass displacement are flagrant violations of international law. Ghana remains unwavering in its recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine and its steadfast support for a viable two state solution, where Israel and Palestine will live side by side in peace, security with guaranteed borders. At the same time, we condemn all acts of terrorism by Hamas that triggered this conflict, and we insist that all parties unconditionally respect international humanitarian law. Our moral standards cannot be selective. In that same spirit of international legality and human solidarity, Ghana reiterates its call for the immediate lifting of the decades long economic, commercial and financial embargo that has been imposed on Cuba. The world must support Cuba's new economic and social program. Measures that inflict collective economic hardship on ordinary citizens, run counter to our shared commitment to human dignity and international law. We must likewise elevate our global response to the catastrophic conflict in Sudan, which is reported to be the world's worst humanitarian crisis. We must also exercise solidarity with nations that are facing the terrorist scourge, especially our neighbors in the Alliance of Sahel states. The current Middle East crisis is having a deleterious effect on the world economy. We call for a return to the negotiating table. And let me add that no human civilization deserves to be annihilated, and certainly not a member of the United Nations. I believe that dialogue can resolve even the most intractable of global problems. Across every conflict, whether in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the standard must remain uniform respect for sovereign integrity, protect civilians and ensure unhindered humanitarian access and hold perpetrators of war crimes accountable.
Our experience demonstrates an important principle influence is not determined solely by population, territory or military power. Influence can come from ideas. It can come from moral authority. It can come from coalition building. It can come from persistence. It can come from international law. And it can come from the ability to bring different regions and groups together around a common cause. This is the strength of the General Assembly. Every member state has a voice. Every member state has a vote. And every member state, large or small, has a responsibility to contribute. The General Assembly is the most representative body of the United Nations, bringing together all 193 members on the basis of sovereign equality. For countries such as Vanuatu, this principle is fundamental. Mr. president, the imposition of coercive economic measures, including unilateral sanctions against developing countries, is unfair and unjust. Such measures are in violation with the principles enshrined in the charter of the United Nations and adversely affect sustainable development outcomes of countries such as Cuba. In this respect, we consistently call for the uplift of the economic embargo on the Republic of Cuba.
Mr. President, as I turn to my region in the Caribbean, I'd like to highlight a series of crises that continue to threaten our peace, stability and development. Let me say at the outset that when I speak about letting many hands make light work, when it comes to conflict resolution, that this is one of the areas in which the political leaders of the Caribbean can play a pivotal role in its own region. Firstly, Haiti. The security crisis continues to retard political renewal and economic recovery, and still the preparations for a return to constitutional government, yes, are moving forward even with great difficulty. But those efforts cannot succeed unless security improves, particularly in the areas containing more than half of Haiti's electorate in the capital and surrounding areas. Barbados, therefore supports the full deployment that has been too, too, too long promised, and the renewal of the mandate of the Gang Suppression Force. Let me remind you that it was in 2022 that this recent, more heightened state of insecurity began with the fuel riots just before the General Assembly met in 2022. And in 2026, we have not kept faith with providing the level of security that would minimize the loss of life. At the same time, we have to give thanks where thanks is due and there are member states who have contributed in whatever way to help in Haiti find its path. This includes, of course, the Caribbean Community's Eminent Persons Group, which has been helping to build consensus and maintain engagement with key international partners in the last few years. In addition, Mr. President, we are deeply concerned by the worsening humanitarian pressures facing the people of Cuba. Too many people are suffering. Too many people. Restrictions on trade, finance and access to fuel are intensifying hardship not only for Cuban citizens, but for all others who study and live there. Barbados has each year opposed the use of the embargo and other unilateral coercive measures against Cuba.
