region.

I now give the floor to Mr. Huang Xia.

Monsieur le Président Mr. President,

distinguished members of

the Council,

excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.

I thank you for

providing me with this opportunity to

update you on the recent developments in

the situation in the Great Lakes region.

I would have liked

to be the bearer of good news

on the status of the crisis

shaking the east of the Democratic

Republic of the Congo and the region.

Regrettably, that's not the case.

Indeed,

since my briefing last October,

while the region has seen

a considerable intensification in

diplomatic initiatives,

the humanitarian and security situations

have worsened

to a worrisome level.

The continued erosion of trust between

actors in the region

in part explains the persistent divide

between political commitments and the

reality on the ground.

This disconnect remains today our main

collective challenge.

On diplomatic initiatives, the

Washington and Doha processes, as well

as African efforts, have opened new

windows of opportunity.

The signing of the Washington Accords on

the 4th of December last year

represented a significant step.

However,

the temporary capture of Uvira by the

M23 just a few days later had severe

consequences for civilians and regional

relations.

I welcome the resumption of negotiations

in Washington on the 17th and 18th of

March this year.

This

allowed for the adoption of specific for

specific measures to be taken, in

particular, the identification of

certain areas of operation of the

Democratic

Liberation Forces, the FDLR.

During my last visit in the region, just

before my arrival in New York, Congolese

authorities updated me that operations

against the FDLR

were being prepared.

And that an awareness-raising campaign

was also underway

to

offer

fighters the possibility to surrender

voluntarily.

Congolese authorities and MONUSCO also

noted some

withdrawal movements of M23 troops from

certain positions.

In Doha,

we've seen two significant steps

forward.

Firstly, the establishment of the

ceasefire oversight and verification

mechanism, and the adoption of the terms

of reference for the enhanced joint

verification mechanism plus.

I welcome the resumption this week of

the Doha talks between representatives

of the government of the DRC government

and

of the AFC M23, co-facilitated by Qatar

and the United States.

With the support of the Swiss

Confederation

that is hosting the negotiations.

I hope that this resumption will allow

the swift operationalization of the

protocol on the oversight mechanism, as

well as on the six pending protocols

under the Doha

peace agreement framework.

At the continental level,

I am pleased to see that African efforts

have been stepped up

around the African Union mediator.

The meeting in Lomé on the 17th of

January indeed confirmed the crucial

role of

Togolese mediation.

The mediator and the panel of

facilitators have increased their

consultations in the

capitals of the region.

This is a crucial step

to

build on ongoing peace processes.

Mr. President, despite these efforts,

the violence has taken on a new

dimension marked by the increasing use

of advanced military technology.

Drone attacks,

GPS jamming and spoofing,

bombings.

The tragic death of a UNICEF employee on

the 11th of March in Goma is

a painful reminder of these realities.

The human toll of this protracted crisis

remains unacceptable. Several million

people remain displaced

and facing food insecurity.

We've seen a rise in sexual violence,

as well as attacks on humanitarian

workers and the destruction of essential

infrastructure.

This is compounded by a worrisome rise

in hate speech

and identity-based polarization,

sometimes instrumentalized.

This fuels cycles of reprisals

and heightens

social fragmentation.

This situation threatens to transform an

already serious security crisis into

an

even more devastating community-level

conflict.

These dynamics are also exacerbating

regional tensions between certain

countries in the region.

In response to these worrisome trends,

I have stepped up my own good offices.

I traveled to Lomé, Addis Ababa, and

Doha to provide my office's support to

the mediation efforts

to promote a greater consistency between

international initiatives and African

ones, and to mobilize more targeted

support for the peace processes.

In Uganda, I consulted with authorities

in the context of their current

chairmanship of the regional oversight

mechanism of the Addis Ababa framework

so as to promote regional convergence on

de-escalation measures.

In this regard, I wish to express my

support for the conclusions on

strengthening complementarity and

consistency

that emerged from the ad hoc summit

convened on the 21st of December

last year by President Museveni.

My office has also enhanced its support

for long-term stabilization efforts,

notably by supporting a high-level

workshop on combating the illegal

exploitation of natural resources,

drawing on lessons learned from the

Kimberley Process,

and

by consolidating the participation of

women and young people in peace

processes in line with Security Council

resolutions 1325 and 2250.

Furthermore,

under my office's facilitation,

member states of the Contact and

Coordination Group have developed

standardized operating procedures, SOPs,

for the disarmament, demobilization,

repatriation, and reintegration

of

foreign armed groups.

These SOPs

aim to harmonize non-military approaches

and will be endorsed at a ministerial

meeting scheduled for June.

I also welcome the close collaboration

between my office, the African Union,

the International Conference of the

Great Lakes region, and

relevant United Nations entities in the

implementation of the

UN Strategy for the Great Lakes region.

In particular, on youth peace and

security and on refugee-related issues.

This

momentum in this area was particularly

clear during the commemoration of the

10th anniversary of resolution 2250.

My office, the UNFPA, the UNDP, and

UNICEF

all supported the work of youth

organizations

committed to peacebuilding in the

region,

as well as the organization of a

conference entitled Reflections and

Renewed Commitment for Africa

on young people in partnership with the

ICGLR

and COMESA.

My office also

worked with the UNHCR and the European

Union

to organize from the 16th to the 18th of

March

a regional ministerial conference

on

comprehensive solutions for Burundian

refugees

bringing together

regional governments, South Africa,

Burundi

Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Rwanda,

Tanzania Tanzania, and Zambia

as well as regional economic communities

and several partners.

Mr. President, distinguished members of

the Council

it is regrettable that commitments made

through the Washington and Doha

processes

have not

yet been fully translated into

sufficient action on the ground.

The risk of slippage towards a regional

confrontation remains present.

This Council cannot afford to see a

recurrence of the cycle of violence that

it has seen for all too long.

The comprehensive implementation of

resolutions 2773 and 2808

is urgent.

In this context

this Council's support is vital

to

ensure that the parties make specific

progress.

The immediate priority is the

establishment of an effective,

verifiable, and fully respected

ceasefire.

Its credibility hinges on the full

operationalization of the

oversight mechanism and

the

EJVM plus.

Indeed

the monitoring, verification, and

reporting functions of these mechanisms

are essential to restoring a

de-escalation.

The resumption of negotiations between

the DRC and the AFC M23 represents a

considerable opportunity to better

define the modalities for effective

operational cooperation between the

parties

so as to ensure full respect for the

ceasefire.

In addition

it's essential that members of the

Council

strengthen their engagement with the

parties to secure the opening and

protection of humanitarian corridors

guaranteeing safe

swift, and unimpeded access to

populations in need.

On the political level

it's essential that we address this

crisis while remaining mindful of its

regional and historical dimensions.

This is a crisis that is particularly

visible in the Eastern DRC but which for

more than 30 years has been

characterized by a complex web

of

closely intertwined and competing

political, economic, and social

interests both

at the national and regional levels. It

is in this context that my office

has been entrusted with a regional

mandate

that runs as a complement to the

national mandate of MONUSCO. Indeed, the

situation on the ground and persistent

mistrust among countries today

continue to highlight the relevance of

this regional mandate in addressing the

root causes of the conflict in the

Eastern DRC.

At the same time, it's crucial to

support the

mediation led by Togo and the work of

the panel of facilitators.

On the 27th of March this year, I met

with the African Union mediator.

It is imperative that we

lend him strong political, technical,

and financial support

in order to promote a high-level

political dialogue among leaders and to

reinforce mediation initiatives

already undertaken in Washington and

Doha.

While efforts

should naturally converge around the

pre-existing agreements

the

reconstruction of the rebuilding trust

between regional leaders is just as

essential to ensure the long-term

success of any agreement.

I therefore urge the Security Council to

support these

trust building initiatives which is a an

essential precondition for true lasting

peace.

Finally, in order to address the root

causes of the conflict

the revitalization of the Addis Ababa

framework agreement remains essential.

In this regard, I welcome the commitment

of the South African authorities whom I

met recently in Pretoria

to

continue these revitalization efforts

within the framework of South Africa's

presidency of the regional oversight

mechanism

beginning in 2027.

This will be a fresh opportunity to

strengthen

the regional momentum for sustainable

peace.

Allow me to conclude with an appeal to

the parties. No resolution, no mediation

no

verification mechanism can succeed

unless the parties directly concerned

choose the path of peace.

I therefore call upon the DRC, Rwanda,

and all act concerned actors including

the AFC M23 to resume frank dialogue to

immediately ease tensions and ensure the

effective and timely

implementation of all of their

commitments. Thank you.

I thank Mr. Xia for his briefing.

I now give the floor to Ms. Sim Masami

Bahous.