Allah-Maye Halina, Prime Minister of Chad, speaking on behalf of his country’s President who was unable to travel to New York, said that 80 years after its founding, the United Nations must come back to life again. It would be wrong to deny its merits, but it is still far from accomplishing its Charter goals.  “We have to note that the UN has never disappointed as much as it does today,” he said, citing its inability to halt conflict. Too often, major decisions are taken which seem to benefit a few big powers to the detriment of the Global South, while in the Security Council, Africa — cradle of one-fifth of humanity — is excluded from permanent representation, he said.

The situation in Gaza represents a collective failure of the international community, a humanitarian scandal and an unprecedented moral challenge, he said, reiterating Chad’s call for recognition of a Palestinian State based on the two-State solution, pre-1967 borders and an immediate halt to illegal settlement activities.  This week’s adoption of the New York Declaration is an historic step forward that must be transformed into concrete action, he said.  Turning to development matters, he said that more than $4 trillion must be mobilized every year for poor countries to fulfil the 2030 Agenda.  In that regard, the Sevilla Commitment is the last chance to turn words into action, he said, adding that the United Nations’ success will be judged by the collective ability to help vulnerable countries.

Security Council reform is an extremely urgent matter, he continued, asserting that in its current form, it symbolizes injustice, double-standards and the UN’s inability to meet the expectations of the peoples of the world.  “It is totally unacceptable that Africa — cradle of humanity, demographic lung of the world and the strategic motor of the twenty-first century — remains marginalized at the highest levels of global governance,” he said, calling for Africa to be assigned two permanent Council seats with veto rights, in line with the Ezulwini Consensus.

He drew attention to the persistent threat of terrorism in the Lake Chad basin, stating that his country has received no outside assistance in combatting Boko Haram while also facing the dramatic impact of climate change. Chad calls for greater solidarity to ensure equitable access to financing, green technology and vaccines. He went on express deep concern about the war in Sudan and its humanitarian, socioeconomic, environmental and security consequences, including the influx of more than 2 million refugees into Chad, and welcomed a positive momentum towards peace, national reconciliation and socioeconomic progress in Central African Republic.