Ce mercredi 21 septembre, le chef de l’Etat gabonais a pris la parole à l’occasion du débat général de la 77ème Assemblée générale des Nations-Unies à New-York. Dans son propos, très dense, Ali Bongo Ondimba a évoqué notamment l’urgence climatique, la place de l’Afrique au sein du Conseil de sécurité, la guerre en Ukraine, mais aussi l’éducation, la santé, l’inflation, etc. Nous reproduisons son discours, prononcé pour moitié en français, pour l’autre moitié en anglais, dans sa version in extenso.
Mesdames et Messieurs les Chefs d’Etat et de Gouvernement,
Excellences, Mesdames et Messieurs,
Monsieur le Président,
Je vous adresse mes plus vives félicitations pour votre élection à la présidence de la 77ème Assemblée générale des Nations Unies et mes vœux les plus ardents de succès.
Je salue et adresse mes félicitations à votre prédécesseur, M. Abdulla SHAHID, pour l’engagement qu’il a démontré tout au long de la 76ème session.
Au Secrétaire général Antonio GUTERRES, je réitère le plein SOUTIEN de mon pays dans ses efforts au service de notre organisation.
Monsieur le Président,
Je me réjouis de prendre à nouveau la parole avec gravité parce que la situation l’exige. En effet, nous sommes à une période charnière du système international, alors que le monde se relève difficilement d’une pandémie et se trouve en proie à une crise multi-dimensionnelle.
L’émergence de nouveaux pôles d’influence entraîne une cristallisation et commande que nous privilégions un dialogue permanent en vue d’un consensus global, plutôt qu’un rapport de forces, dans l’approche des questions antagonistes au sein du système multilatéral.
Face aux rivalités entre puissances, et aux défis multiformes, qui nous concernent tous, il serait dangereusement naïf de continuer à miser sur les rapports de force ou les postures unilatérales.
L’interdépendance des enjeux globaux et l’interconnexion des économies nationales nous exigent de dialoguer, afin de répondre de manière appropriée, et surtout collective, aux menaces les plus graves à la paix et à la sécurité internationales.
Nous sommes dans le dernier quart d’une année qui a vu les défis mondiaux s’amplifier, mettant à mal les efforts communs et individuels visant à mettre en œuvre les objectifs de développement durable à l’horizon 2030.
A moins de huit ans de l’échéance, il est crucial d’évaluer le parcours à l’aune de la menace que continue de faire peser la pandémie de la Covid-19 sur nos économies.
Une menace, tout aussi insidieuse, plane désormais sur nos économies. Cette menace, c’est l’inflation. Partout dans le monde, l’inflation atteint de tristes records. Personne n’est épargné, les entreprises comme les ménages, le Nord comme le Sud. Ses effets sont dévastateurs.
Il nous faut donc agir. Individuellement, certes. C’est ce que le Gabon fait en subventionnant certains produits de première nécessité, en contrôlant les prix sur d’autres. Mais ici aussi, nous ne parviendrons à vaincre efficacement ce phénomène que si nous agissons collectivement, de manière coordonnée, en toute solidarité. C’est un défi de plus, lancé à la face du monde. Nous devons ensemble, tous ensemble, le relever.
Mister President,
This year marks many new beginnings for Gabon – as we arise from the tragedy and forced inertia of the coronavirus pandemic, and re-open to the world. We are the newest member of the Commonwealth of Nations – home to 2.5 billion people, one-third of the world’s population, with shared values of respect for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
My country is broadening horizons for our citizens and seizing the chance for our young people to benefit from studying, travelling, and building business relationships far beyond our own borders.
At the same time, Gabon takes its place on the world stage – not alone, but as a proud African nation. But the problems that our world faces today are global, as are the solutions.
We must all be outward facing, not inward looking, as we confront the difficulties of a world where resources are finite and populations growing.
This month, our Commonwealth family has lost its Leader, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Through the union that she loved so deeply, the Queen offered respect, friendship, and wise counsel to many independent nations around the world, small or large. She promoted peace, liberty and shared values and fostered a spirit of cooperation.
As the new Head of the Commonwealth, His Majesty King Charles III can be assured of my full support and that of the Gabonese people. A dear friend of Gabon for many years, King Charles III shares my enthusiasm for protecting our natural environment and bio-diversity, and the same worries for global climate and sustainability.
Mister President,
Fifty years after the Stockholm conference, humanity faces an unprecedented triple environmental crisis: climate change; the bio-diversity extinction crisis; and pollution, notably by plastics.
Regarding climate, with 88% forest cover and deforestation well below 0.1%, Gabon is a “High. Forest, Low Deforestation” country, par excellence. Since COP 15 in Copenhagen, Gabon has net absorbed over a billion tons of carbon dioxide. We absorb over hundred million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year.
In other words, we have already achieved, indeed exceeded, the Paris agreement objective of carbon neutrality. We are counting on the creation of a net sequestration carbon market to enable us to maintain this performance through to 2050 and beyond.
Secondly, I find the bio-diversity crisis extremely alarming. COP15 in Montreal will be a decisive moment for humanity and it is critical that we adopt an ambitious global bio-diversity framework. The time has come to transition from Billions to Trillions, by mobilizing 1% of global GDP for Nature.
Finally, pollution has become a chronic problem in our cities, our rivers and our oceans. We must lose no time adopting a binding international agreement on plastic pollution, as well as the Treaty of the High Seas. In order to achieve sustainable development goals, our international agreements and national policies must address the inter-dependence of these crises.
Mister President,
Threats to international peace and security continue to increase exponentially.
Faced with the proliferation of armed groups, restricting their access to arms will be at the heart of my country’s priorities during our presidency of the United Nations Security Council in October.
In this regard, I would like to reiterate my country’s call for a robust partnership to ensure greater security in the Gulf of Guinea. Many countries face critical humanitarian crises, exacerbated by armed conflict. This is the case in Ukraine, where the war has led to a worsening of the situation of countries and regions already experiencing food shortages.
This is why my country has clearly expressed its opposition not only to this bloody war, but to any form of war.
Gabon, which has never experienced armed conflict, will continue to advocate and favor dialogue and negotiation over confrontation.
Mister President,
Access to education for children should be considered sacred. Therefore, I would like to express my country’s resolute support for the sanctuarization of schools and places of education, particularly during armed conflicts.
To compromise education is to place a mortgage on future generations. It is in this vane that I have made the promotion of women and young people a key priority.
In 2015 I launched the decade of the Gabonese woman, which aims to reserve a place of choice for women and children in all aspects of governance in Gabon.
Mister President,
Internationalism is at a turning point. We need to reform the United Nations to ensure better consideration of the aspirations of Africa. This is particularly applicable to the Security Council, where Africa’s role needs to be consolidated. Africa has waited long enough and we will not wait any longer.
In light of the strong inter-dependence of nations, it is crucial that we put an end to the use of sanctions, working instead to build bridges of prosperity. As such, I call once again for the total lifting of the embargo that has affected the Government and the people of Cuba for several decades. Inevitably, the principal victims of any embargo are the weak and the vulnerable.
In the Middle-East, Gabon has always believed that a two-state solution is the only way to achieve peace and security. It is the responsibility of our generation to resolve this problem.
To conclude, Mister President, I would like to reiterate Gabon’s attachment to the principles and values of solidarity at the heart of the United Nations Charter.
To this end, I reiterate my country’s solemn appeal to all members of the international community to live up to our shared commitments in order to ensure peace, security and dignity for the peoples of the world.
I thank you.
