Hassoumi Massoudou highlighted that his nation and area are struggling recurrent droughts and flooding, in addition to locust infestations and the annual lack of 1000’s of hectares of agricultural land attributable to degradation.
Citing latest phrases of President Mohamed Bazoum, he mentioned that to win the combat towards local weather change, the world wanted extra political will.
“It’s the hope of Niger that COP26 in Glasgow will function a framework to reaffirm political will to battle the results of local weather change”, he mentioned, noting that a few of the massive hurdles embrace finance and know-how switch for creating international locations.
Local weather and battle
As a present non-permanent member of the UN Safety Council, the Overseas Minister famous that his nation is co-chairing with Eire an knowledgeable group that goals to undertake a decision relating to the local weather disaster.
“It’s our conviction that fragility linked to local weather change is an aggravating think about conflicts and humanitarian crises”, he mentioned.
Mr. Massoudou added that Niger understood this correlation clearly because it at the moment finds itself surrounded by “hotbeds of instability” and dealing with the assaults of “terrorist hordes”.
He mentioned, nonetheless, that regardless of the dimensions of their nation and the shortage of assets, Niger has proven itself to be resilient by safeguarding its territorial integrity and stability.
This was because of the foresight of Niger’s Authorities, the braveness and willpower of its Protection and Safety Forces and the invaluable assist of bilateral companions akin to multilateral organizations, he defined, extending “honest thanks” for such efforts.
Return of displaced communities
The Overseas Minister additionally knowledgeable the Meeting that as a part of a pilot programme final June, Niger had been capable of return nearly 6,000 individuals to their houses after 6 years of displacement.
“We additionally purpose to finally repatriate round 130,000 displaced individuals from Diffa to Borno state in Nigeria”, he said.
Mr. Massoudou mentioned his Authorities stays satisfied that terrorism and arranged crime are the implications of different ongoing challenges that have to be overcome, particularly poverty and inequality.
“It’s not solely army actions that can permit us to definitively defeat terrorism, but additionally our means to implement improvement programmes and meet the important wants of our populations”, he emphasised.
A turning level for democracy
The Overseas Minister mentioned that whereas 2021 continues to be shadowed by COVID-19, the yr has been a turning level for the consolidation of democracy in his nation.
“Niger was ready to reach the primary peaceable political switch of energy from one elected president to a different”, he defined.
Lastly, Mr. Massoudou known as on the worldwide group to indicate the identical disposition it had within the combat towards COVID-19 to sort out different challenges akin to local weather change, “one other pandemic with devastating results”.
“In Niger, we imagine that our dedication to the protection of beliefs of the [UN] Constitution and the values of peace, solidarity that it embodies, will permit us to hold out this combat in an effort to construct a world of peace, justice, and prosperity”, he concluded.