Evariste Ndayishimiye, President of Burundi , highlighting his country’ position as the Chair of the African Union this year,  declared:

“We are here to convey a conviction: Africa must be listened to more, it must be better represented and more closely involved in the decisions that shape the future of our planet.”   Such inclusion will build trust between Africa and other continents.

The Human Rights Council is used to target specific countries, he warned, adding that the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Burundi’s human rights situation was established without consultation with the Government.  Burundi respects human rights and fights impunity, he underlined.

“Africa intends to be a full-fledged player and not a mere observer, called upon to applaud decisions in the development of which it has not been involved,” he said, calling for the continent’s permanent inclusion in the Security Council.

“Peace remains the primary condition for development,” he added.  To that end, Burundi is paying close attention to the security situation in the Great Lakes, Sudan, the Sahel and Somalia, he said, underscoring the importance of finding “African Solutions to African problems”.

There must be strengthened partnerships between the African Union and the United Nations in view of a peaceful settlement of conflicts.

Africa must not be sidelined

Furthermore, “Africa, with its 55 States and more than 1.4 billion inhabitants” cannot be sidelined from trade discussions, he said.  On behalf of the Africa Union, he called for equitable representation within the World Trade Organization: “this is not a favour we are asking for, but justice we are demanding”, he said.

Domestically, Burundi is determined to become an emerging country by 2040 and a developed one by 2060.  Partnership, specifically through investment, technology transfer and capacity-building will be instrumental to this transformation.