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Mr. President, Distinguished colleagues, I have the honour to brief the members of the Council in my capacity as the Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2127 concerning the Central African Republic. In my statement I intend to highlight the work of the Committee and the Panel of Experts since my last briefing in this Chamber on 11 July.

On 22 July, following the Committee’s consideration of the Panel’s interim report and recommendations, the Chair sent letters to the Permanent Representatives to the United Nations of Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and Sudan as well as INTERPOL, the Economic Community of Central African States and the African Union, drawing attention to the Panel’s recommendation for the enhancement of information-sharing and joint action to investigate and combat regional criminal networks involved in the illegal exploitation and trade in natural resources, including wildlife and wildlife products. On 22 July, the Committee also issued a press release highlighting this recommendation. 

During the Committee’s informal consultations of 1 August, the Panel Coordinator provided further information concerning individuals and entities that in the Panel’s view meet the designation criteria in accordance with paragraph 41 of resolution 2134; namely, five individuals and two entities. The Panel recommended that the Committee may wish to postpone its consideration of the possible designation of one individual and the two entities until after 1 September.  On 19 September, the Panel conveyed the view that the one individual and two entities meet the designation criteria. On 20 October, the Panel presented eight additional statements of case for seven individuals and one entity that in its view meet the designation criteria, as well as several updates to the sanctions list.  In this connection, I would like to reiterate my willingness to convene informal consultations of the Committee or any other meetings that would facilitate the Committee’s consideration of future designations.

 Mr. President, Distinguished colleagues, 

On 24 October, the Committee met with the Panel of Experts to consider its final report and recommendations. According to the report, armed groups remain in control of or still exert influence over almost all inhabited areas of the Central African Republic, despite the signature of a cessation-of-hostilities agreement in July 2014. The increasing fragmentation of the main armed groups active in the country also constitute significant challenges to the stabilization of the political landscape, while the competition among political representatives of armed groups for ministerial positions, as well as among military commanders for control of resources, accounts for the recent infighting among the key armed groups in the country. In this context, the Panel noted little progress in terms of voluntary or forced disarmament since March 2014. 

Providing an update to the final report since its submission to the Committee on 17 September, the Panel mentioned that as of 20 October, it had compiled reports indicating that a total number of 3,232 civilians had been killed since the imposition of the arms embargo on 5 December 2013, including the killings of 23 humanitarian aid workers. On 14 November, in connection with the Committee’s consideration of the final report and recommendations, the Chair sent letters to the Permanent Missions of Belgium, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Israel, Lebanon, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates in connection with particular recommendations. Letters from the Chair were also sent to the Chair of the Kimberley Process, President of the World Diamond Council, and the Executive Secretary of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. In the UN system, the Chair transmitted letters to the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MINUSCA, the Executive Director of UNICEF and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.  

On 14 November, a Security Council press release was also published in English and French in connection with the Panel’s recommendation that the Committee urge exporters, importers, processors and consumers of Central African gold to mitigate the risk of further exacerbating the conflict in the CAR by following due diligence guidance, as it is being implemented through the Regional Certification Mechanism of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. There was no consensus in the Committee to take similar action on a recommendation by the Panel concerning diamonds, and no consensus was reached as well on a recommendation that the Committee request the neighbouring States to convey, on a confidential and annual basis, complete statistics on the import and export of natural resources.   

On 2 December, following the receipt of information from the Panel of Experts concerning the reported death on 15 November of one of the three sanctioned individuals, Mr. Levy Yakete, the Committee agreed to update the sanctions list to reflect the reported death, and to contact the designating States for official confirmation, and in this connection sent letters to the concerned States seeking additional information.  

On 3 December, the Committee convened its second formal meeting with the Permanent Missions to the United Nations of the Central African Republic and its neighbouring States, who were invited to provide their views on the final report of the Panel of Experts. During the discussions, the Chair welcomed the views of Committee member Chad as well as the representatives of the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. 

In their remarks, the participating Member States highlighted a number of challenges in implementing the sanctions measures, such as porous borders and the absence of adequate border-monitoring.  One of the invited States expressed concern with the Panel’s recommendation that the Committee request the neighbouring States to convey, on a confidential and annual basis, complete statistics on the import and export of natural resources.   

Mr. President, Distinguished colleagues, 

I would now like to update you on the implementation reports the Committee has received from Member States to date. To date the Committee has received reports from 31 Member States as well as five addenda from three States. Only two African States have submitted implementation reports, and none from the immediate region. All the reports received have been posted on the Committee’s website. Of the 15 Committee members, eleven have submitted reports to date. I have encouraged the members to lead by example and submit their implementation reports in a timely manner. Along these lines, I would also like to encourage those recipients of the Chair’s letters in connection with the Panel’s interim and final reports to kindly provide the Committee with timely responses. 

I intend to continue my outreach activities to the Central African Republic and its neighbours, some of whom highlighted during the 3 December meeting the need for implementation assistance as well as further clarifications regarding the exemptions procedures. In this regard, the Chair plans to invite the regional States and the Secretariat to the third “informal informal” meeting at the Permanent Mission of Lithuania during the second half of December, to review the exemption procedures and to discuss ways in which States may possibly seek donor assistance to help them implement the sanctions regime. 

It is also my intention to visit the Central African Republic early next year, with a view to engaging the transitional authorities, MINUSCA, civil society, religious leaders and others to echo the message that resonated in the Committee meeting on 3 December; namely, that the sanctions regime should be seen not as a punitive measure, but a collaborative tool of engagement. As one delegation best phrased it, this engagement is an expression of the Committee’s solidarity with CAR, through which the authorities in Bangui can strengthen State authority and target spoilers. 

I intend to inform members of the Committee of the details of my planned visit in due course. 

In closing, Mr. President, I would like to assure Council members that as Chair of the Committee I will do my utmost to ensure that the Committee makes a significant contribution to the efforts of the Council, MINUSCA and other international partners to bring an end to the ongoing violence that threatens the Central African Republic and to set the country on a path of reconciliation, durable peace and sustainable development. 

Thank you, Mr. President.