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STORY: UN / CENTRAL AFRICA
TRT: 03:32
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: FRENCH / RUSSIAN / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 13 DECEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters
13 DECEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (French) Abdou Abarry, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Africa and Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA):
“Electoral cycles have taken place or are set to occur in the subregion. For instance, on July 15, presidential and legislative elections were held in Rwanda, which, according to the CEEAC observation mission, "took place in a peaceful and calm environment." UNOCA is closely monitoring the preparations for numerous elections scheduled in the region for 2025 and 2026.”
4. Wide shot, Security Council
5. SOUNDBITE (French) Abdou Abarry, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Africa and Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA):
“In this regard, on December 29, Chad will conclude its political transition with legislative, provincial, and local elections that will finalize the institutions provided for under the Fifth Republic Constitution adopted via referendum on December 17, 2023. Furthermore, Burundi, Cameroon, Gabon, and the Central African Republic will hold legislative or presidential elections in 2025, while Congo and São Tomé and Príncipe will move toward presidential elections in 2026.”
6. Wide shot, Security Council
7. SOUNDBITE (French) Abdou Abarry, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Africa and Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA):
“Since the beginning of 2024, almost every country in Central Africa has been affected by extreme climatic events, resulting in deadly and destructive floods that have impacted more than 3.2 million people, thereby exacerbating social and economic tensions in the subregion. It is encouraging to note that COP29 highlighted the key role of the Congo Basin forest, the "second green lung" of the planet, which absorbs between 1 and 1.2 billion tons of CO₂ annually and plays a strategic role in global climate regulation. However, the climate financing required to protect this vital ecosystem and enhance the resilience of populations to the effects of climate change remains grossly insufficient. To date, less than 15% of international commitments to Central Africa have been fulfilled.”
8. Wide shot, Security Council
9. SOUNDBITE (French) Daniele Nlate, President of the Central African Women's Active Network (REFAC) and Vice-President of the Central African Civil Society Coalition for Peace and Conflict Prevention (COPAC):
“All of the conflicts in the world bring us decades back because of the poverty which impacts households, states, and the whole African continent.”
10. Wide shot, Security Council
11. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Anna Evstigneeva, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“The challenges that these sub region countries are facing are comprehensive in nature, and we attach particular attentions to regional efforts made to come up with a greed out of counter terrorism. We are concerned by the remaining destructive potential on the part of Boko Haram, and by the activity in the region of groups which are affiliated with ISIS.”
12. Med shot, Abdou Abarry
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Wood, Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs, United States:
“The United States continues to provide robust humanitarian aid to help ensure that the needs of refugees their host communities and others are being met. Last year, the United States was the largest provider of assistance to Sudan and neighboring countries. Additionally, we continue to press the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to expand humanitarian access, ensure the protection of civilians and return to negotiations.”
14. Wide shot, end of Security Council meeting
Briefing the Security Council, the UN Special Representative for Central Africa, Abdou Abarry, highlighted the dual challenges of electoral transitions and climate crises in the region. UNOCA is closely monitoring these processes, advocating for “free, inclusive, and peaceful elections,” he said.
Abarry provided an update on UNOCA’s activities and key developments in the region for the Security Council today (Dec 13) in New York City. He emphasized the extension of UNOCA’s mandate and the adoption of the Pact for the Future, which strengthens multilateralism in addressing conflict prevention, sustainable development, and regional stability.
Abarry highlighted the complex challenges facing Central Africa, including “extreme climatic events, resulting in deadly and destructive floods that have impacted more than 3.2 million people, thereby exacerbating social and economic tensions in the subregion.” While COP29 recognized the Congo Basin forest as the “second green lung of the planet” for its absorption of over a billion tons of CO₂ annually, he warned that “the climate financing required to protect this vital ecosystem and enhance the resilience of populations... remains grossly insufficient.” Currently, less than 15 percent of international commitments to Central Africa have been fulfilled.
Political instability also poses a major concern, with Abarry noting “unconstitutional changes of government and the resurgence of insecurity linked to groups like Boko Haram.” However, he pointed to progress in governance and conflict prevention, supported by regional cooperation.
On electoral preparations, Abarry shared updates on upcoming votes. “On December 29, Chad will conclude its political transition with legislative, provincial, and local elections that will finalize the institutions provided for under the Fifth Republic Constitution adopted via referendum on December 17, 2023,” he said. He further noted that “Burundi, Cameroon, Gabon, and the Central African Republic will hold legislative or presidential elections in 2025, while Congo and São Tomé and Príncipe will move toward presidential elections in 2026.”
Daniele Nlate, a civil society leader, underscored the far-reaching consequences of conflict, stating, “All of the conflicts in the world bring us decades back because of the poverty which impacts households, states, and the whole African continent.”
Adding to the discussion, Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva expressed concern over security threats in the subregion. “We are concerned by the remaining destructive potential on the part of Boko Haram, and by the activity in the region of groups which are affiliated with ISIS,” she said.
The US representative, Robert Wood said, “The United States continues to provide robust humanitarian aid to help ensure that the needs of refugees their host communities and others are being met. Last year, the United States was the largest provider of assistance to Sudan and neighboring countries. Additionally, we continue to press the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to expand humanitarian access, ensure the protection of civilians and return to negotiations.”
