Madam Chair, Mr Prime Minister, Excellencies,

We want to thank the briefers and especially the presentation of São Tomé e Príncipe’s newly adopted national prevention strategy. We welcome the fact that the overarching goal of the strategy is to strengthen the rule of law. The elaboration of such strategies, in collaboration with the UN and with support from the Peacebuilding Fund is an excellent example of how we envisage strengthening conflict prevention in the future. This vision was agreed by all member states in the Pact for the Future, and from the EU’s side we would like to see a further strengthening of this approach through the ongoing Peacebuilding Architecture Review. 

The fact that Sao Tome and Principe is returning to the PBC after the initial meeting in January 2024 is a sign of commitment to sustaining peace. It also illustrates how the PBC and the PBF jointly can reinforce national prevention efforts. 

The European Union actively supports São Tomé and Príncipe in the strengthening and consolidation of democratic governance and rule of law. We welcome the country’s efforts to reform the justice and security sectors, as well as the progress made in establishing a national human rights commission. 

The EU has also been supporting elections and electoral reform in Sao Tome and Principe. In June 2024, the EU deployed an Election Follow-up Mission to assess the implementation of the recommendations of the 2022 EU Election Observation Mission, which aimed to improve future electoral processes. We welcome the results achieved so far and the authorities' commitment to follow up on these recommendations. Some of the recommendations are supported by the EU, such as the allocation of identity cards to all voters. 

We remain committed to supporting the peacebuilding efforts of Sao Tome and Principe and look forward to a sustained engagement with the PBC.

Thank you