Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the press.
1. Thank you for being here.
2. We stand at a pivotal moment on several fronts for global peace and security. Accordingly, I wish to address three urgent issues today:
– the situation in Gaza and the United Nations Security Council vote;
– the challenge of conflict-driven food insecurity and Sierra Leone’s Feed Saloneinitiative; and
– the threat of terrorism in the Sahel region and our call for stronger international support for African-led peace efforts.
3. First, on Gaza and the UN Security Council vote. Sierra Leone fully supports the United States–drafted resolution on Gaza [that has been adopted] by the Security Council.
4. This resolution endorses a comprehensive ceasefire plan that we believe offers the best path to end the violence and renew hope for a lasting peace.
5. We are especially encouraged by its provisions to establish an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in Gaza and a Board of Peace as a transitional governance mechanism.
6. These measures, an impartial security force on the ground and an apolitical administrative board, are crucial for stabilizing Gaza, protecting civilians, and creating an environment in which meaningful peace can take root.
7. We commend the leadership of President Donald J. Trump in 2025 for spearheading this bold peace initiative.
8. Sierra Leone welcomes the United States-led mediation efforts, working in close partnership with Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye, with support from the Palestinian leadership on the text of the resolution, to bring about the current ceasefire and chart a way forward.
9. Indeed, without the tireless efforts by the mediators, together with our collective advocacy in the Security Council, the hard-won ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza would not have been possible.
10. This united effort has laid the groundwork to end the cycle of violence and, we hope, to lay a path for peace that has eluded generations of Israelis and Palestinians.
11. Sierra Leone urges international community to come together and support the resolution.
12. We choose to stand on the side of principles with pragmatism, for peace, security, and human dignity for the people of Gaza.
13. Secondly, I wish to address the scourge of food insecurity, especially as it relates to conflict, and highlight Sierra Leone’s Feed Salone initiative.
14. Around the world, conflict and hunger are tragically intertwined. In fact, the latest global reports confirm that armed conflict is a primary driver of acute food insecurity in numerous countries.
15. It accounts for the suffering among nearly 140 million people in 20 conflict-affected nations.
16. When wars erupt, they not only shatter lives and infrastructure, but they also destroy crops, disrupt markets, and drive families into famine.
17. As a nation that has itself endured conflict in the past, Sierra Leone knows that hunger can be both a cause and a consequence of instability.
18. This is why we have been vocal in international forums about breaking this vicious cycle.
19. Today, under Sierra Leone’s presidency of the Security Council, we convened a high-level open debate on conflict-induced hunger – a signature event of our Council tenure, chaired by myself.
20. We want to galvanize global action so that conflict is no longer allowed to breed starvation, and starvation no longer fuels new conflicts.
21. But advocacy alone is not enough. Sierra Leone is also taking concrete action at home through our flagship program Feed Salone.
22. Feed Salone is our national initiative to achieve food security and build resilience, part of Sierra Leone’s contribution to regional efforts to create food systems that promote peace and stability.
23. The vision of Feed Salone is simple yet transformative:
– to boost agricultural productivity;
– reduce dependence on food imports;
– alleviate hunger; and
– ultimately build a resilient food system for our people.
24. We are investing in everything from mechanized farming and irrigation to improved seed banks, better roads from farm to market, and support for our women and youth in agriculture.
25. By increasing local food production and creating jobs, Feed Salone fights hunger today and tackles root causes of conflict for tomorrow.
26. We believe that a well-fed nation is a more peaceful nation, one where youths have opportunities, communities are more self-reliant, and there is less competition for scarce resources.
27. Sierra Leone is proud to lead on this issue, and we call on our partners to join us in linking food security with peacebuilding.
28. Together, we can ensure that no child goes to bed hungry because of war, and that food is used as a tool for development rather than as a weapon of conflict.
29. Finally, I turn to the situation in the Sahel and coastal West Africa, and what we ask of the international community.
30. The rise of terrorism and violent extremism in the Sahel, and increasingly spilling into coastal West African States, constitutes a grave threat to international peace and security.
31. Jihadist and extremist groups are expanding their reach, exploiting weak State presences and feeding off instability.
32. But we in the region are determined to confront this menace head-on.
33. As current Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, I am committed to strengthening regional trust and security cooperation to address our shared challenges.
34. We are working hard to restore confidence among West African nations, to bolster intelligence-sharing, joint training, and coordinated action against terrorist groups.
35. Our region continues to face insecurity in the Sahel and along the Gulf of Guinea; terrorism, political instability, illicit arms flows, and transnational organized crime are testing the resilience of our nations and the effectiveness of our institutions.
36. ECOWAS, under Sierra Leone’s chairmanship, has made it a priority to rebuild that resilience through unity. We are engaging with all member States in the region, to foster dialogue and bring our region back together around our core principles of democracy, peace, and development.
37. Only by building trust among neighbours can we present a united front against the terrorists and traffickers who threaten us all.
38. However, to succeed, Africa’s efforts must be met with robust international responsibility and partnership.
39. Today I call on the United Nations Security Council, UN member States, the Secretariat and all partners to support Africa-led peace initiatives with concrete action.
40. In particular, we urge the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2719 (2023), which was a landmark unanimous decision acknowledging the need for predictable financing for African peace operations.
41. That resolution provides a framework for the UN to help fund African Union–led peace support operations through assessed contributions on a case-by-case basis.
42. In other words, the international community agreed that when Africa takes the lead in solving crises, the UN can and should shoulder its share of the burden.
43. We must now translate this commitment into reality.
44. We welcome the African Union’s and United Nations’ ongoing work to operationalize Resolution 2719, and we stress that now is the time to act.
45. African-led missions need reliable and sustained support. This includes the proposed ECOWAS Standby Force to combat terrorism in West Africa.
46. By investing in African-led peace operations, the international community invests in its own security as well. Terrorism in the Sahel and West Africa is not a localized problem, its impact ripples across borders and continents.
47. Supporting an African response through frameworks like Resolution 2719 is a strategic imperative to keep extremists in check and uphold international peace and security.
48. Let me use this opportunity to commend UN Secretary-General António Guterres, for his renewed attention and dedicated support to addressing the multidimensional threats in the Sahel and West Africa.
49. In conclusion, Sierra Leone remains steadfast in its commitment to global peace, security, and multilateral cooperation.
50. Whether in supporting a path to peace in Gaza, combating hunger and building resilient food systems, or uniting against terrorism in Africa, our message is the same: we must work together.
51. No nation can solve these challenges alone. Sierra Leone will continue to do its part, in the Security Council, in our region, and at home, to champion solutions that uphold the dignity of every human being.
52. I urge our international partners to join us in these efforts with the urgency and solidarity that these times demand.
I THANK YOU.