Mr. President of the General Assembly, Ladies and Gentlemen, Heads of State and Government, Distinguished Delegates, Mr. Secretary-General, Ladies and Gentlemen, Allow me, first and foremost, on the occasion of the 78th session of the General Assembly of our common institution, on behalf of my country Togo and His Excellency President Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBÉ, to extend my warm congratulations to Mr. Dennis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago for his election and his skill in conducting the proceedings of this session. My warm congratulations also go not only to his predecessor, Mr. Csaba Kőrösi, who presided over our work last year but also and above all to Mr. Secretary-General António Guterres, who is doing his best to reshape the United Nations into a modern institution despite the hesitations and complexity of the path towards reform. I would also like to express condolences and the support of the President of the Republic, Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBE, and the Togolese people to the fraternal peoples and governments of the Kingdom of Morocco and Libya after the earthquake and floods in each of their countries.   Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, As we gather in this hall, it is clear that our world is in a far from favorable state. It is deeply ill, and its state of pathology calls for a level of responsibility as high as that of the United Nations. Are our commitments commensurate with the magnitude of the challenges? That is the question we must not lose sight of if our ambition at the United Nations is truly to improve the state of the world for the purpose of providing our peoples and our respective countries with more opportunities, safety, security, and assurance. The choice and relevance of the theme guiding the general debate of this 78th session of the General Assembly, namely, « Restoring Trust and Reviving Global Solidarity: Accelerating Action for the Achievement of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals in favor of peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all, » clearly and indisputably reflects the unsustainable, disrupted, and unstable state of the world, as well as our determination to do better. The emergence of new sources of tension in the world should give us pause. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, I come from a country, Togo, and a continent that is currently facing significant challenges. Africa, oh Africa, our Africa, Africa of freedom, Africa of our fathers, oh Africa of our mothers, you are wounded and bruised. Our continent, Africa, is vulnerable on multiple fronts: vulnerability due to its low level of development, vulnerability to large-scale health crises, vulnerability due to the effects of climate change, vulnerability due to disruptions in global food supply chains, vulnerability due to the intrusion of cybercriminals and disinformation in the African cyberspace, vulnerability due to the recurrence of armed conflicts and the prevalence of war, vulnerability due to the spread of international terrorism on the continent, threatening international peace and stability. Terrorism has developed alarmingly on our continent in recent years, in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and southern Africa, and Africa is at risk of becoming a sanctuary for international terrorism and remaining the weakest link in the global security system. Our Gulf of Guinea states, long spared, have begun to pay a heavy toll to terrorism. To effectively respond to the terrorist threat, Togo has implemented innovative and multisectoral measures outlined in its strategy document for combating violent extremism adopted on July 5, 2022. This strategy reconciles security and development approaches by combining operational and legal measures with more flexible and endogenous measures. It takes into account the emergency program for the savannah region, with a total budget of $324,527,400 USD for the realization of various projects by 2025 in the sectors of water, energy, health, infrastructure, education, and agriculture. This is the place to express the government’s gratitude to all of Togo’s partners in the fight against terrorism and to wish for the constant strengthening of various partnerships to eliminate the terrorist nebula. In the face of the numerous situations of vulnerability and crises that affect Africa and fundamentally spare no country on the continent, the Togolese government is working, at the national level, to advance the development agenda through an ambitious 2020-2025 Roadmap. Togo has completed a set of priority projects that have economically, socially, and structurally benefited our populations. Health through the establishment of Universal Health Coverage, food sovereignty, socio-economic inclusion, and decent work for the well-being of all and shared prosperity remain the government’s top priorities. Mr. President, Ladies and gentlemen, The efforts of the Government to make Togo a country open to the world continue. We are committed to strengthening the economic, social, and democratic stability that contributes to attracting investors and ensures Togo’s position as a preferred destination. The multifaceted actions we are undertaking align with the United Nations and African commitments of the 2030 and 2063 agendas, aiming for sustainable development shared by all United Nations members. In this program, significant emphasis is placed on environmental protection and preservation. This reflects Togo’s determination to join the international effort to combat the harmful effects of climate change. To manage and sustainably protect marine and coastal ecosystems, the Togolese government has prioritized, on one hand, the sustainable management and protection of marine and coastal ecosystems, regulation of fishing, reducing the vulnerability of people and property to extreme climatic events, and on the other hand, the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and the promotion of the blue economy. Regarding sustainable protection of the marine and coastal environment, Togo has implemented a regional program for integrated coastal management and erosion control. Togo aims to protect 90% of its coastlines by 2025. Furthermore, in the context of ecosystem preservation and restoration and the fight against desertification, Togo has launched a major national reforestation program targeting one billion trees by 2030. The importation, marketing, and use of glyphosate and all products containing it have been banned, and the use of biopesticides and biofertilizers is being promoted in the country. In the field of renewable

1. Prof. Robert DUSSEY, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Togolese Abroad, chaired, this Monday, September 11, 2023 in Lomé, the 2023-2024 diplomatic new year marked by a public conference on the theme “Democratic transitions in Africa between dreams and realities”. 2. The ceremony was attended by personalities from the diplomatic and consular world, political figures, academics, stakeholders from the world of justice, civil society and diplomatic staff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regional integration and Togolese abroad. 3. In his speech for the occasion, Prof. Robert DUSSEY outlined the objectives of this annual meeting and recalled the strategic orientations of Togolese diplomacy defined by the President of the Republic, H.E.Mr. Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBÉ, relating, among other things, to the commitment to serving a peaceful West African community, an Africa less vulnerable to shocks, stable, strong and audible on the international scene and for a more just and equitable world. He noted that Africa’s return to the international scene will only benefit the continent if Africa is master of its own agendas. 4. The ceremony was also an opportunity for Minister DUSSEY to recall the main events which will be on Togo’s diplomatic agenda during the diplomatic year 2023-2024, in particular the holding, on October 21 and 22, of the first edition of « Lomé Peace and Security Forum » and the organization of the 9th Pan-African Congress in the second half of 2024. 5. According to Prof. Robert DUSSEY, Togo cannot abandon brother countries which are in crisis, at war and in political transition which constitute moments of major uncertainties and mediation and facilitation efforts at the scale of the region and the continent will be strengthened throughout the year. Togolese diplomacy values African expertise in the search for solutions to African problems and this is the best way for Africa to limit external interference which has contributed in recent years to fueling sources of tension and putting the continent in difficulty. 6. In the inaugural conference of this diplomatic new year, the speaker, the former transitional Prime Minister in Togo (1991-1994), Mr. Joseph Kokou KOFFIGOH, presented his vision of democratic transitions in Africa which are both occasions of hope, uncertainty and sometimes despair. The reality of political transitions, argued Mr. Joseph Kokou KOFFIGOH, is that they are not always easy occasions where hopes become realities. 7. The great merit of the democratic transitions of the nineties in Africa, in addition to the liberalization of the political landscape and the advances in human rights, is that everyone has converted to the idea of democracy, which is definitively anchored in habits. Democratic transitions have thus made pluralist democracy the political regime accepted by all. 8. The speaker, drawing on past experiences, made relevant recommendations for the conduct of political transitions that must be inclusive, peaceful and oriented towards the restoration of constitutional order through free and transparent elections. 9. The eminent speaker stressed that the conduct and support of political transitions require more realism, pragmatism and contextualized approaches adapted to the practical situation of each political transition process. He invited regional organizations, the African Union and the international community to think outside the box and purely normative positions in order to better support the political transitions underway on the continent, particularly in West Africa. These institutions and the international community must favour diplomatic channels and mechanisms in their relations with transitional regimes to the detriment of belligerent approaches. 10. The conference ended with an interactive session to deepen the theme through questions and answers. 11. The diplomatic new year ceremony was an opportunity for the head of Togolese diplomacy to invite all the diplomatic staff of our country, at headquarters or outside, to greater boldness, initiatives, efficiency and performance to take Togolese diplomacy even further in accordance with the vision of the President of the Republic, H.E.Mr. Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBÉ. Lomé, September 11, 2023

1 – Le Togo et l’Union africaine ont, dans le cadre de l’Agenda 2021-2031 de la « Décennie des racines africaines et de la diaspora africaine », procédé, ce lundi 22 mai 2023 à Lomé, au lancement officiel du 9ème Congrès panafricain prévu en 2024 sur le thème « Renouveau du panafricanisme et rôle de l’Afrique dans la réforme des institutions multilatérales : mobiliser les ressources et se réinventer pour agir ». 2 – La cérémonie de lancement présidée, au nom de S.E.M. Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBE, Président de la République, par S.E. Mme Victoire TOMEGAH-DOGBE, Premier ministre et Cheffe du gouvernement, a été marquée par la présence des membres du gouvernement togolais, des présidents des institutions de la République, ainsi que d’autres personnalités venues de l’Union africaine, du continent, des diasporas africaines et des communautés d’afro-descendants. 3 – La cérémonie de lancement a été marquée par plusieurs allocutions et S.E. Mme Victoire TOMEGAH-DOGBE a, dans son discours, remercié l’Union africaine et ses États membres pour le choix porté sur le Togo pour abriter le 9ème Congrès panafricain qui sera l’occasion privilégiée pour les africains vivant sur le continent et hors d’Afrique (la diaspora et les afro descendants) de s’interroger sur la question de leur devenir dans un monde de plus en plus instable, marqué par des crises multiples et en pleine reconfiguration. 4 – Selon Madame le Premier ministre, le contexte actuel est celui du renouveau du panafricanisme et le 9ème Congrès permettra non seulement de répondre au besoin d’assurer une continuité historique au mouvement panafricain, mais aussi de réaffirmer son importance incontournable dans les efforts et l’élan collectif des peuples d’Afrique et des diasporas africaines pour une meilleure représentativité du continent dans les institutions multilatérales de coopération internationale et pour sa participation équitable à la gouvernance mondiale. 5 – S’exprimant au nom de la Commission de l’Union africaine, S.E. Dr Monique NSANZABAGANWA, Vice-présidente de la Commission de l’institution continentale, a salué le leadership de S.E.M. Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBE et de la diplomatie togolaise sur la question des diasporas africaines et a rappelé toute l’importance que l’UA accorde au panafricanisme, à la diaspora africaine et aux afro-descendants dans son Agenda 2063. Selon elle, le projet d’organisation du 9ème Congrès panafricain répond aux enjeux actuels et la renaissance africaine n’est possible que dans le cadre d’un panafricanisme renouvelé et adapté à notre époque. 6 – Dans leurs allocutions, S.E. Mme Naledi PANDOR, ministre des relations internationales et de la coopération de l’Afrique du Sud, et S.E.M. Jean-Claude GAKOSSO, ministre des affaires étrangères, de la francophonie et des Congolais de l’étranger, ont respectivement salué l’engagement panafricain du Togo. S.E. Mme Naledi PANDOR a relévé l’importance contemporaine du panafricanisme et la détermination de son pays à travailler aux côtés du Togo et de l’UA pour la réussite du 9ème Congrès panafricain. Quant à S.E.M. Jean-Claude GAKOSSO, il a souligné toute la pertinence de la présente édition du Congrès qui permettra de fédérer les énergies autour des questions de développement continental et de représentativité de l’Afrique dans la gouvernance mondiale. 7 – Dans son discours de circonstance, S.E. Prof. Robert DUSSEY, ministre des affaires étrangères, de l’intégration régionale et des Togolais de l’extérieur, a décliné les prochaines étapes des préparatifs du Congrès de Lomé qui vont s’accélérer à travers une série d’activités, notamment l’installation des membres du Comité International du Congrès, la campagne de mobilisation et de communication internationale, l’installation des sous-comités en charge des travaux thématiques et la tournée du renouveau du panafricanisme dans plusieurs pays du continent et dans les diasporas. 8 – La cérémonie de lancement intervient suite à la Décision Assembly/AU/Dec.22(XXXVI) de la Conférence des Chefs d’État et de gouvernement de l’UA réunie en sa 36ème session ordinaire les 18 et 19 février 2023 à Addis-Abeba, en Éthiopie, à travers laquelle elle a demandé au Togo d’organiser, en collaboration avec la Commission de l’UA, la 9ème édition du Congrès panafricain. 9 – Le Congrès de Lomé en 2024 sera le 4ème Congrès panafricain tenu sur le continent après le 6ème congrès de Dar es Salam en Tanzanie, le 7ème de Kampala en Ouganda et le 8ème de Johannesburg en Afrique du Sud. Les cinq premiers Congrès panafricains ont été tenus en dehors de l’Afrique dont le 1er à Paris en 1919, le 2ème à Londres, Bruxelles et Paris, le 3ème à Londres et Lisbonne, le 4ème à New York et le 5ème à Manchester.