Equipo Nizkor - Republican Pact for Peace, National Reconciliation and Reconstruction in the Central African Republic.

Republican Pact for Peace, National Reconciliation and Reconstruction in the Central African Republic

We, the participants in the Bangui National Forum,

Bearing in mind the main recommendations of the thematic committees of the Forum and drawing upon them in formulating this Pact,

Gathered in Bangui from 4 to 11 May 2015 as representatives of the people of the Central African Republic as a whole, in all their political, social, cultural, ethnic and religious diversity,

Reaffirming our commitment to upholding the basic documents governing the transition in the Central African Republic, including the Constitutional Charter for the Transition of 18 July 2013; the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement between the armed groups in the Central African Republic, signed in Brazzaville on 23 July 2014; the road map for the transitional institutions and bodies; the Commitment Agreement signed by politico-military groups on 23 April 2015; and the Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration and Repatriation Agreement between the Government of the Central African Republic and the armed groups, signed on 10 May 2015 and annexed to the present Pact,

Considering all the formal and informal dialogue and reconciliation initiatives taken in preparation for the Bangui Forum, including local popular consultations aimed at strengthening national unity,

Mindful of our duty to act as worthy advocates of the views, expectations and aspirations of our compatriots in taking part in the work of the Bangui National Forum,

Reaffirming our commitment to the unity, sovereignty and indivisibility of the Central African Republic, our beloved homeland,

Deploring the spiral of violence that has undermined social cohesion and national unity in the Central African Republic,

Reaffirming our deep commitment to the process of dialogue and reconciliation as the best means of restoring a just and lasting peace, the foundation for comprehensive development in the Central African Republic,

Aware of the significant efforts made by the Government of the Central African Republic, together with its partners, to emerge from the crisis and restore constitutional order and political stability through free and transparent elections,

Determined to make a positive contribution to the implementation of the resolutions and recommendations of the Bangui National Forum through measures and mechanisms for restoring peace and promoting reconciliation and good governance,

Convinced that the Bangui National Forum is a historic opportunity to rebuild the Central African Republic on the basis of a national pact rooted in the principles of democracy, social justice and good governance,

Undertake, through this National Pact for Peace, Reconciliation and Good Governance (Republican Pact), to work diligently in pursuit of the following objectives:

Governance (democratic and economic) and institutional reform

We reaffirm our consensus, as Central African Republic stakeholders, on:

The need to create conditions conducive to the organization, throughout the country and in a timely manner, of the constitutional referendum and of free and transparent general elections that will ratify the restoration of the constitutional order, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitutional Charter for the Transition and with the agreed timetable and procedures, and to undertake to facilitate the participation of refugees in these elections;
The obligation of all stakeholders to abide scrupulously by the Constitutional Charter for the Transition;
The adoption and signing of a code of conduct by political parties and groupings, candidates and the press, with a view to a process that meets the standards for democratic elections in a peaceful environment, and a commitment to settling disputes through legal means;
The need to strengthen citizen participation and political representation of the regions through the prompt organization of local elections at the end of the transition process;
The introduction of a constitutional provision ruling out the possibility of amnesty for crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of genocide committed in the Central African Republic;
The promotion of inclusive and participatory democracy based on the principle of equality between men and women; the strengthening of social cohesion, justice and reconciliation in the Central African Republic; and the introduction of a constitutional provision allowing the executive branch to conduct popular consultations on key social issues;
The need to take account, in the process of finalizing and adopting the new Constitution, the concepts of secularism and citizenship; the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples; the separation of powers and democratic oversight of the Government; and the national, professional and multi-ethnic nature of the defence and security forces of the Central African Republic, as well as the principle of democratic civilian oversight of such forces;
The introduction of a constitutional provision prohibiting the seizure and holding of power by force and establishing that political activity of any kind is incompatible with military status;
The introduction of a constitutional provision strengthening national sovereignty and requiring that the foreign relations of the Central African Republic be conducted in a manner that reflects the dignity and interests of its citizens and the need to protect the territorial integrity of the State, and the inclusion of a mechanism for parliamentary oversight of compliance with that provision;
The need to establish transparent mechanisms for managing State resources, to enact anti-corruption legislation and to operationalize the national financial investigation agency and other structures aimed at consolidating good governance in the country;
The establishment, in the new Constitution, of a high authority on good governance as an independent institution for oversight and policymaking; protection of the national heritage; transparency in the use and management of natural and mineral resources; and the fair distribution of profits from extractive industries to ensure that they contribute effectively to national development and to improving the lives of all citizens;
The strengthening of ethical standards in political life, in particular through the immediate reform of the legal framework for political parties; the objective determination, in the medium term, of financing modalities for political parties; the adoption of a law on the status of the opposition; the promotion of equitable access to State media; and the promotion of women's and young people's participation in elective political office, including through the establishment of quotas;
Reform of the legal framework governing the press and revitalization of the regulatory bodies overseeing the communication and audiovisual sector; promotion of and respect for ethics; immediate implementation of measures to ensure media coverage of the entire country; and liberalization of the audiovisual communication sector;
The effective implementation of the law on the status of former Heads of State.

Restoration of State authority, redeployment of the Administration and decentralization

We reaffirm the consensus among all Central African Republic stakeholders on:

The incremental redeployment and strengthening of an Administration that upholds the values of secularism, fairness and neutrality at the local level in order to ensure an effective State presence throughout the country, in particular before, during and after the general elections;
The implementation of measures to ensure that the redeployment of State structures reflects the principles of representation, regional balance and inclusiveness and the provision of basic public services for the benefit of all the people of the Central African Republic;
The establishment of rules governing the functioning of the Administration, particularly with regard to ensuring that civil service appointments, promotions and advancements reflect equitable geographical and community representation, as well as performance and regional and gender balance;
The implementation of a proactive policy of decentralization and regionalization and the strengthening of the prerogatives of decentralized local governments (regions, departments and communities) under the new Constitution;
The strengthening of the role of local, traditional and customary authorities to take into consideration the need for social cohesion and inclusiveness and to promote community dialogue, including through the establishment of a Territorial Council with advisory jurisdiction over local government issues.

Justice and reconciliation

We reaffirm the consensus among all Central African Republic stakeholders on:

The need to strengthen and respect the constitutional provisions on the protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Central Africans, without discrimination as to age, gender, ethnicity or religion, and the right to freedom of movement throughout the national territory;
The need to formalize the observance of Islamic holy days as non-working public holidays, in the interests of equity and national reconciliation;
The creation of a socioeconomic and security environment conducive to the return of internally displaced persons and refugees;
The strengthening of the role of courts and tribunals in protecting human rights, and the establishment of a national human rights institution;
The effective establishment, with the support of the international community, of the Special Criminal Court in the Central African Republic, and, to this end, the need to strengthen the technical and operational capacity of local courts; to establish protection mechanisms for judges, witnesses and victims; and to ensure the implementation of the mutual legal assistance agreements signed within the framework of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, the Economic Community of Central African States and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region;
The need to prosecute those responsible for the crimes committed in the Central African Republic and, to this end, to cooperate with the investigations, prosecutions and judicial proceedings to be undertaken by the Special Criminal Court, other national courts and tribunals and the International Criminal Court;
The establishment of a justice, truth, reparations and reconciliation commission, with branches at the local level, to identify and investigate crimes and abuses committed in the Central African Republic with a view to classifying them into two categories:

- Those whose perpetrators must be brought to justice;

- Those that may be subject to reparations through the payment of compensation or the performance of community service, in order to promote a spirit of contrition and inter-community reconciliation;

The establishment of a transitional justice mechanism in accordance with the overall National Reconciliation Strategy; the institution of a day of remembrance of the victims of the crises in the Central African Republic; and the promotion of a civic and citizenship culture in the Central African Republic.

Peace and security

We reaffirm our consensus, as Central African Republic stakeholders, on:

The requirement that armed groups commit themselves fully to the process of strengthening democracy in the Central African Republic and that they express any grievances through peaceful and democratic means;
The timely implementation of the Agreement on disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation, as adopted at the Bangui National Forum, and the establishment of a new disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation programme that provides for the retraining and community reinsertion of former combatants, inter alia through support for the creation of labour-intensive employment initiatives, as well as advocacy and communication;
The immediate and spontaneous launch of the process of immediate voluntary disarmament by all politico-military groups;
The immediate implementation of article 4 of the Brazzaville Cessation of Hostilities Agreement of 23 July 2014 between the unconventional politico-military groups in the Central African Republic, which concerns the regrouping of the armed elements signatories to the Agreement, in order to create conditions conducive to a peaceful electoral environment;
The identification by armed groups of all foreign fighters in their ranks and the repatriation of such individuals to their countries of origin, with the support of international partners;
The need to take the specific needs of women, youth and children into account in all phases of the disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation process;
The need to implement a defence and security sector reform and restructuring strategy in the Central African Republic, encompassing all components of the defence and security forces (armed forces, gendarmerie, police, and justice system) and based on the principles and modalities agreed upon at the Bangui National Forum.

Economic and social development

We reaffirm our consensus, as Central African Republic stakeholders, on:

The need for the Government to incorporate all the recommendations made at the Forum into national rehabilitation and reconstruction programmes;
The urgent need to provide humanitarian assistance to the populations affected by the recent crises, including through the establishment of a social solidarity fund;
The implementation by the Government of an integrated reconstruction and economic development strategy targeting the most disadvantaged regions of the country, including the development of road, energy and telecommunications infrastructure, as well as a road map for modernizing key growth sectors and providing basic services throughout the territory;
The implementation of a genuine policy of employment for all (including in particular young people, women and vulnerable groups) based on investment optimization objectives, with the provision of special support to nationals in order to promote the emergence of Central African businessmen and businesswomen, and greater incentives for foreign investment through mechanisms to promote the private sector;
The restoration, throughout the country, of basic social services, including schools, health centres and hospitals (including HIV/AIDS treatment), access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and access to social housing for all victims of the recent crises in the Central African Republic;
The opening of a genuine dialogue among all economic and social stakeholders in order to ensure the collective development of concerted and sustainable solutions for improving the collective management, by nationals of the Central African Republic, of their country's economic and social issues, including with respect to the integrated reconstruction strategy;
The need to ensure effective legal and judicial protection for victims, and particularly for the most vulnerable groups;
The need to ensure the transparent and rational use of natural resources, in particular oil, diamonds, gold, uranium and others, in order to contribute to the country's development, and the need to review all cooperation frameworks to that end.

We request the Transitional Authorities to set up, without delay, an agreed framework for monitoring the implementation of the conclusions and recommendations of the Forum and of the present Pact, which is binding on all components of the nation. In this regard, we request the National Transitional Council to consider the outcomes of the Forum in its deliberations and to translate them into action in the legal and regulatory spheres.

We solemnly call upon the Transitional Government, the National Transitional Council and the government and parliament resulting from the forthcoming elections, as well as all key stakeholders of the nation, to comply fully with the present Pact, and urge them to ensure diligence and vigilance in its implementation and follow-up.

11May15

Republican Pact for Peace, National Reconciliation and Reconstruction in the Central African Republic

[Source: United Nations Department of Political Affairs, New York, USA]

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