Statement by H.E. Ambassador Koro Bessho
Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations
At the Briefing on the Situation in Mali
6 April 2017

 

 

Thank you, Madam President.

 

I would like to join you and the speakers before me to express my deepest condolences to the family of the victim and the Government of France for their loss.

 

Madam President,

 

We are pleased to welcome His Excellency the Foreign Minister of Mali in our presence.  I would like to thank Under-Secretary-General Lacroix for his informative briefing.  I also welcome him to his new post.   This is an important and challenging time for UN peacekeeping, and we look forward to working closely with you.  Please be assured of our full support.

 

Madam President,

 

As MINUSMA’s current mandate enters its final months, the Council must correctly assess the severity of the situation we face in Mali.  The picture is not good.  More than a year ago, the Council visited Mali and reiterated its call for concrete progress in the implementation of the Peace Agreement.  Unfortunately, most of the key observations we made during our mission are still valid now: slow implementation of the Agreement, the lack of inclusiveness, especially of women and youth, concerns on lack of decentralization and state of interim authorities in the north, and minimal progress in SSR and extension of state authority. 

Since then, the security situation has worsened and become more complex, with continuous attacks by violent extremist and terrorist groups and intercommunal clashes erupting in central Mali.

 

As we consider MINUSMA’s future mandate, we need to ask ourselves how the UN can better support the overriding goal of implementing the Peace Agreement.  The Agreement contains 20 chapters with Annexes, and its mutually reinforcing elements must be implemented in a balanced manner.  We would like to reiterate the need for further progress in SSR, DDR, cantonment, and redeployment of the Malian defense and security forces.  This is crucial to building confidence in the northern and central regions. 

 

Japan appreciates the G5 Sahel’s initiative on a new joint force, which represents the ownership of African States to counter terrorism in the region. The Council should closely study this proposal to see how it would interact with MINUSMA.

 

Madam President,

 

MINUSMA’s mandate is multidimensional, and its strategic priority is supporting the signatory parties in their implementation of the Agreement, particularly the provisions related to the restoration and extension of State authority.  Political and institutional reforms are desperately needed, and all five interim authorities in the north must perform effectively to provide tangible benefits to the people.  The time is right for the Council to seriously discuss how MINUSMA can be best positioned to support both the political and institution building needs arising from the peace process.  Japan looks forward to contributing actively to this difficult but necessary discussion.

 

I thank you, Madam President.