I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia^*, Montenegro^*, Albania^*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina^* and San Marino align themselves with this statement.

Mr President,

Last week we saw how the Russian Federation once again used its veto in the Security Council to block the work of the UN, this time in Mali. We deeply regret the use of the veto by Russia on the resolution proposed by the co-penholders France and the United Arab Emirates for a twelve-month extension of the UN Sanctions Regime and Panel of Experts for Mali.

The proposed resolution had wide support from Security Council members, with 13 voting in favour. The co-penholders had worked hard to seek compromise. The use of the veto in this case blatantly disregarded the will of a large cross-regional majority of 13 countries, including the African Security Council members. The use of the veto ignores the principles of multilateralism that we have pledged to uphold at the UN, puts further obstacles on the road to peace and to relief for the people of Mali and again puts into question Russia’s obligation as a permanent member of the Security Council.  

Mr President,

The purpose of the UN Sanctions Regime on Mali was to support the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali. It aimed at helping to create the conditions “to address the many obstacles to the implementation of the [Peace] Agreement”[1]. It did so by principally targeting those responsible for obstructing the implementation of the Peace Agreement by imposing a travel ban and an asset freeze on them. Three individuals were subject to the travel ban and five were subject to both the travel ban and the asset freeze.

The Sanctions Regime was supported by a Panel of Experts that offered invaluable input to the Security Council and the international community at large regarding the implementation of the Peace Agreement and the UN sanctions. In light of MINUSMA’s departure from Mali, the Panel of Experts would have played an even more critical role in monitoring the implementation of the Peace Agreement. We need all the tools at our disposal to support peace in Mali. The European Union, together with the UN and other international partners, remains committed to the implementation of the Peace Agreement.

The failure to renew the Mali sanctions regime, including the Panel of Experts, due to the veto by Russia, removes a major tool that incentivised parties to implement the agreement. The already challenging implementation of the Peace Agreement has now been put even more into question. This creates significant risks for peace and security in Mali and in the wider region. As the Panel of Experts warned already in its last report on 3 August 2023, ‘non-implementation of the Agreement weakens signatory armed groups and offers terrorist groups an opportunity to re-enact the 2012 scenario’.

Mr President,

The European Union is extremely concerned about the continued deterioration of the situation in Mali.

The humanitarian situation is getting worse by the day and we cannot ignore the level of human suffering caused by the conflict and instability. Therefore, we deeply regret the decision taken by the Malian Transitional Government to request the withdrawal of MINUSMA without delay. The withdrawal of the peacekeeping force risks deepening the conflict in Mali and puts the already fragile Peace Agreement into jeopardy. It will put civilians at greater risk and affect humanitarian access to those most in need.

At this critical stage, we urge the Malian authorities to fully cooperate with the UN to ensure an orderly and safe withdrawal of the peacekeepers, while fully respecting the Status of Forces Agreement until the final departure of MINUSMA personnel. We also call on the Transitional Government to abide by its international obligations to protect civilians and ensure that humanitarian actors are granted access, and that all security operations are carried out in accordance with international humanitarian law and human rights law.

The end of the UN sanctions regime will only isolate Mali further. As MINUSMA withdraws, it is crucial that its core tasks can be handed over to other UN entities or national authorities. Cutting ties with the United Nations is not an answer to Mali’s multidimensional crisis. The vast majority of countries agree on this. It is deeply regrettable that the veto of one isolated member state stands in the way of using all of the UN’s means to work towards peace, stability and security in Mali.

Thank you.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

[1] UNSC Res 2374 (2017), PP27