Sierra Leone Telegraph: 9 September 2024:
President Bio last week, spoke about global peace and security at the 2024 Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Beijing, underscoring the urgent need to address global injustice and ensure fair representation for all nations.
The President highlighted that Africa, having experienced the devastating impact of conflict, must be fairly represented in global decision-making platforms such as the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
This is what President Bio said:
Your Excellency, President Xi Jinping, President of The People’s Republic of China; Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government here present; Distinguished Guests; Ladies and Gentlemen. I express my profound gratitude to His Excellency President Xi Jinping and the Government of the People’s Republic of China for their warm hospitality and the impressive arrangements for this 2024 FOCAC Summit.
The Summit’s thematic focus on Peace, Collaboration, Industrialisation, and a Shared Future couldn’t have been more pertinent. This High-Level Event on Global Peace And Security is timely and of utmost importance to us all.
Across the globe, we are witnessing unprecedented challenges that are not just threatening, but actively eroding the very fabric of our societies. The urgency of the situation cannot be overstated.
Old and new conflicts fuel humanitarian crises, destabilise regions, and undermine development gains. Terrorism, organised crime, and the proliferation of small arms continue to pose significant threats to global peace and security even as Climate Change and pandemics add new dimensions to our vulnerabilities.
YOUR EXCELLENCIES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, these prevailing challenges threaten to erode some of the tremendous scientific innovations and technological advancements we have witnessed in the last century.
In the face of these challenges, humanity must unite and confront them head-on. Our survival, progress, and development depend on our ability to work together.
The FOCAC Framework stands as a testament to the power of collaboration. It has provided a unique platform for meaningful dialogue, mutual respect, and shared prosperity, and we must continue to leverage this partnership to build a more peaceful and inclusive world.
The philosophy of perpetuating injustice and unfair treatment to others with the desire to develop self has inadvertently distorted and continues to undermine global peace and security. We must genuinely commit ourselves to addressing these imbalances before we get caught in their nemesis.
To ‘jointly build a shared future of lasting peace and universal security to support modernisation’ (as the theme of this Conference demands), we must address global injustice and unfair treatment, knowing that INJUSTICE ANYWHERE THREATENS JUSTICE EVERYWHERE.
YOUR EXCELLENCIES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, For Africa, these challenges are even more prevalent. Many of our nations, including Sierra Leone, have experienced firsthand the devastation of conflict and instability.
We have seen how these forces can hinder economic progress, disrupt social cohesion, and push millions into poverty. However, we have also learned that with determination, unity, and strategic partnerships, we can overcome these challenges.
Peace and security are intrinsically linked to sustainable development. We cannot talk about one without addressing the other.
The United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 both emphasise the importance of peace and security as prerequisites for development. At this important time in our history, it is important that we strengthen multilateralism and international cooperation. The challenges we face are global and demand a coordinated global response.
Sierra Leone remains committed to upholding the principles of international law, respecting sovereignty, and fostering diplomatic dialogue to resolve disputes.
When Sierra Leone commenced its tenure as an elected Member of the United Nations Security Council in the Non-Permanent Category, as a nation that has experienced war and instability, we have been very concerned and vociferous about the political and economic instabilities affecting our world today.
In August this year, as Chairman of the African Union’s Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government (C-10) on the Reform of the United Nations Security Council during Sierra Leone’s Presidency of the UN Security Council, I hosted an insightful debate on Maintaining International Peace and Security: Addressing Historical Injustice and Enhancing Africa’s Effective Representation in the Security Council.
I must re-echo here that it is fair and just that we all continue to lend our voices to this demand. We look forward to China and count on its common friendship with Africa to support this Common African Position on the UNSC Reform.
Africa’s underrepresentation not only undermines the principles of equity and fairness but also limits the effectiveness of the United Nations and the operations of all its apparatus in addressing contemporary global challenges.
Addressing contemporary global security challenges requires the collective wisdom and cooperation of all nations, not just the privileged few or the most militarily or economically powerful.
Fair representation of Africa will better equip the United Nations to tackle global challenges and foster a more just, fair, and peaceful world. YOUR EXCELLENCIES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, some might argue that universal peace is unattainable. However, universal peace does not imply the absence of conflicts and tensions.
Instead, it means humanity’s ability and willingness to dialogue, with a focus on resolving indifferences, promoting shared values, and addressing the underlying causes of such conflict and tension.
As a country that has journeyed from war to peace, we are constantly inspired by the possibilities of human effort and cooperation to overcome tragedy and strife. Genuinely seeking solutions to the multi-dimensional global peace and security challenges is still worthwhile.
From the West Africa and Sahel regions to Sudan and the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Gaza to Ukraine, the myriads of manmade sufferings persist. World leaders must focus on addressing injustice and unfairness.
We must prioritise conflict prevention and resolution through dialogue and peace-making. We must promote fair trade, climate security, and accountability to combat terrorism and food insecurity and reform the UN Security Council so that it can justly and fairly address the threats to global peace and security.
Divisions and unhealthy competition will only lead to humanity’s destruction. We must ensure unity in diversity, where the rights of the weak and the minority are protected.
Global development and modernisation require unity among all nations. However, we cannot unite if some of our members feel unfairly and unjustly treated, dehumanised, used, and abused. There is no need for confrontation in today’s world because the only sure outcome of conflicts today is misery and suffering for humanity.
I commend our Chinese partners for their continued commitment to peace and development in Africa. The Belt and Road Initiative and other Cooperation Frameworks have opened new avenues for infrastructure development, trade, and investment, which are vital for our economic growth and stability. We must continue cooperating based on just and fair principles for China, Africa, and humanity in general. Thank you all for listening.
President Maada-Bio continues unconvincing! He still has not accounted for the 19 Sierra Leoneans he abducted/kidnapped – including retired Inspector-General of Police Bambay Kamara – to Benguema and murdered without trials, death certificates, and funeral obsequies; his non-compliance with existing Sierra Leone Statutory GO(General Orders) in his Removal from Offices of SL Auditor-General with her Deputy, and replacements with persons compatible with his low and in-exemplary standards.