Faustin Archange Touadera, Head of State of the Central African Republic, said the crises on the African continent — in Sudan, the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa — “recall the fragility of the equilibrium that we have struck and the urgency for enhanced support for the prevention and the peaceful settlement of disputes”.  His country therefore proposes the strengthening of UN mechanisms for preventive diplomacy through the creation of a Global Conflict Prevention Fund financed by the world’s major powers and administered transparently.  Also, the creation of regional mediation coalitions to complement the United Nations’ prevention of conflict escalation should be systemized.

Observing that, in 2025, over 40 per cent of global armed conflicts are happening in Africa, he lamented that across some of its regions, one in two children lives in a conflict-affected area.  “How can we speak of a future when half of a generation is threatened by war?” he asked.  He called for an integrated African mechanism for food and climate security to break the link between resource scarcity and conflict, thereby mitigating the harmful effects of climate change.  “We call for structural and sustainable financing of peace operations in Africa based on mandatory contributions rather than voluntary ones,” he said, affirming that peace must be inclusive and guarantee the participation of women and young people.

He urged Member States to choose “concession over division, unity over deadlock” for the United Nations to be consequential to conflicts on the continent and to prevent it from becoming a mosaic of fragmented States.  It is to this end, he said, that his country supports the Quad declaration initiated by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States concerning the restoration of peace and security in Sudan.  He said that his country, once considered a theatre of violence, now exemplifies the possibilities associated with reaching across the divide and making peace, owing to which the preparations for the December elections are now serenely under way.

He therefore urged that the Central African Republic experience be studied and strengthened as a good African practice within the framework of the United Nations and the African Union.  Pointing out that Africa’s 1.4 billion people today will become 2.5 billion in 30 years, he called for two permanent seats with veto powers on the Security Council.  “How can we speak of international justice and security when the continent of tomorrow is treated as though it were the continent of the past?” he asked.