Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi addressed the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Tuesday. Here is a summary of the major points from his speech:
Tshisekedi said that the fact that the leaders are meeting in person represents a positive step during the current pandemic, and thanked the efforts made by scientists to reach this point. He said, however, that such shows of solidarity must be “bolstered” in order to truly “overcome” COVID-19. This, the DRC leader said, would allow for post-pandemic economic recovery and “building resilience through hope” in a manner that prioritises sustainability, human rights, and multilateral reform.
Keeping this in mind, Tshisekedi said it was essential to achieve herd immunity. The DRC President is also the current chairperson of the African Union (AU), and noted that African countries have created a COVID-19 response fund and “launched a platform for medical supplies to ensure that all [African] countries have access to the necessary equipment.” They have also launched the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust, through which they have signed an agreement for the delivery of 220 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Nevertheless, Tshisekedi cautioned that the pandemic remains a long way from being over, describing it was a “many-headed serpent.”
Consequently, he called for the adoption of the following measures: increasing testing capacity in countries with insufficient laboratory products; ensuring sufficient and swift supplies of necessary medicines and equipment; increasing vaccination by increasing delivery to those who do not produce them locally and facilitating domestic production of vaccines; increasing medical research and scientific research cooperation between global research institutions and universities; and supporting reform policies for health structures and broadening healthcare coverage in developing countries.
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Tshisekedi said such measures are paramount to achieving post-pandemic economic recovery, especially considering that Africa has been the hardest-hit by the ongoing crisis, particularly its women and children. The impact of the pandemic has been seen in terms of “loss of jobs, drop[s] in revenue, and losses in education.” Moreover, ‘relaunching’ the world economy may entail making the resistance of these already vulnerable groups even more “fragile,” he said.
Therefore, he said that the AU “welcomes all initiatives to finance the African economies affected by COVID-19,” such as G20’s debt service suspension initiative, the common framework for debt restructuring, the Africa France Finance Summit in May, and the announcement of $650 billion in fresh special drawing rights by the International Monetary Fund, of which $33 billion has been allocated to Africa.
However, he said that this amount given by the IMF is “insufficient” in addressing Africa’s economic needs, and called for $100 billion in special drawing rights. This, the DRC leader said, could come from reallocating the funds reserved for developed countries and by increasing the capital of the African Development Bank and the World Bank.
Tshisekedi said that such initiatives would allow Africa to better combat climate change, considering that Africa is now at increased risk of coastal flooding and flooding in landlocked countries, both of which are predicted to decrease agricultural income. Hence, he said that Africa requires $30 billion a year to “adapt” to these changing circumstances, and will need $50 billion by 2040.
He said, however, that Africa does not need charity, but “constructive, win-win partnerships” to harness its “fabulous natural wealth” and improve the living standards of its citizens. He conceded that this must be supported by domestic initiatives to foster strong, stable democratic institutions, alongside “adequate public policy, good governance, and regional integration.”
Aside from the economy and climate change, the DRC President also talked about the need for international support and a global counterterrorism strategy—“that go beyond statements of compassion and intention, which are rarely followed up by action on the ground”—to confront terrorism in the continent. He said that Daesh-affiliated groups and other jihadist groups are “gaining ground every day” in Mali, Niger, Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad, Mozambique, and Burkina Faso, among others, including the DRC, where he said terrorists are “plundering” valuable agricultural and mining resources.
Thus, he called for the adoption of the following “pillars”: adopting a specific security policy; strengthening states’ resources by ‘pooling’ resources and exchanging security information; respecting human rights; and preventive measures through an ‘upstream’ socio-economic approach that promotes education and youth employment, and combats poverty.
Next, he said that it is vital for African countries to realise the vision of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to fully utilise the value of a continent of more than a billion people.
In addition, Tshisekedi reassured the international community that the ‘democratisation process’ is “irreversible” in Africa and that current challenges are merely part of a “laborious democratic process.” He declared that the African people will no longer tolerate “military or autocratic regimes.” Additionally, he claimed that the DRC in particular, under his governance, has taken swift measures to tackle human rights abuses, corruption, and money laundering of public funds, which he said has resulted in increased revenue and investment. Nevertheless, he said that these gains are threatened by Islamist terrorists in north-eastern DRC.
Back in May, the president declared a ‘state of siege’ in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces to “deal with the situation of insecurity.” As a result, civil courts and tribunals transferred their jurisdiction to military courts.
The DRC president concluded his speech by calling for UN reform, saying the organisation needs to be able to “provide justice for a whole continent” that now demands a “greater role in international affairs.” He said that the UN is making a “serious political mistake” by “sticking to its post-war (WWII) thinking,” demanding two additional seats for Africa in the UNSC and two permanent seats with veto rights in the Council as well.