The President of Burundi said on Thursday that, 60 years aft the country’s independence, “the restoration of peace, security, stableness and societal cohesion are a reality” in the African nation.
“The lone force that remains a menace to citizens, successful summation to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is communal to each of us, is poverty,” Evariste Ndayishimiye declared.
The Head of State was speaking astatine UN Headquarters on the 3rd day of the high-level week of the General Assembly. After being held virtually past year, this year’s gathering features “hybrid” activities that see leaders successful idiosyncratic on with virtual participants.
The Burundian leader noted that his country celebrates, in 2021, six decades of independence and rank successful the United Nations.
“It is, therefore, a infinitesimal to retrieve that the United Nations played a large relation due to the fact that since the extremity of the First World War, Burundi was managed nether the mandate of the League of Nations and past of the United Nations,” helium said.
A infinitesimal for hope
Pointing to the taxable of this year’s debate, A Presidency of Hope, he said it has peculiar meaning for Burundians.
“Not lone successful the look of the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but besides the consequences of these repetitive crises that person been perpetrated successful the state with implicit impunity,” he explained.
To overcome these difficulties, he said his Government identified a fig of priorities successful the National Development Plan of Burundi, PND 2018-2027. He called the initiative “an ambitious and transformative programme that tin accelerate the process of socio-economic development.”
On the contented of good governance and societal justice, he said “the combat against corruption, economical embezzlement and the combat against impunity are among the priorities of the Government.”
Turning to peace and security, helium said it is “undeniable” that planetary assemblage has had immoderate successes fighting terrorism, but it must admit that it is “far from having developed a common, capable and effectual strategy to annihilate this scourge.”
“Beyond the indispensable subject action, the effectual combat against terrorism includes a fight against radicalization, which is rooted successful ignorance, poverty, younker unemployment and illiteracy,” helium argued.
He added that his Government is concerned astir the proliferation of coercion successful the region, including successful the eastbound portion of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), wherever extremist groups “recruit unemployed young radical who blindly kill peaceful and guiltless citizens.”
“I stay convinced that these groups airs a menace not lone to our portion but to each humanity”, helium said.
It is successful this discourse that, since 2007, Burundi has made subject and constabulary contingents disposable to the United Nations and the African Union, he informed. These officers proceed to serve in countries such arsenic Somalia and the Central African Republic.
Human rights issues
Mr. Ndayishimiye also made a enactment about the UN Human Rights Council, saying of that body’s enactment that “any inclination to azygous retired Burundi by attaching peculiar quality rights mechanisms to it is simply counterproductive.”
“In practice, the Government has focused connected the extortion of quality rights, respect for antiauthoritarian principles, freedoms of opinion, look and the press,” helium guaranteed. “A lot of effort has been made acknowledgment to the constitution of an astir imperishable dialog betwixt governmental parties, the media and the nationalist authorities.”
He also noted that his state welcomes refugees and Burundians who instrumentality to their country. He explained that, since July 2020, much than 75,000 refugees returned voluntarily, adding to much than 50,000 who returned without going done specialized UN agencies.
“With bid and information restored, Burundian refugees, including governmental actors, are returning overwhelmingly and are greeted with emotion and dignity,” helium assured.
Lastly, helium welcomed the “historic decision” of the Security Council and the Peace and Security Council of the African Union to region Burundi from their governmental agendas successful designation of the instrumentality of peace.
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