UN General Assembly
2013

family of free nations struggling to bring happiness to their peoples. In that connection, the policies adopted in the United Nations integrated strategy for the Sahel must be decisively implemented in order to transform challenges into opportunities for growth and progress for the peoples of the region for the certain benefit of international peace and security. We must also commend the efforts undertaken to stabilize the countries of the Great Lakes region, especially the Democratic People’s Republic of the Congo, as well as Somalia, where the African Union has shown its ability to restore and rebuild peace, with, of course, the support of the United Nations. The case of the Central African Republic gives us pause, as it requires a commitment from the international community commensurate with seriousness of the current challenges. The resurgence of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea has had an enormous impact on the economies of the countries of the Atlantic coast and in the hinterlands. The initiatives undertaken with the support of the United Nations and the backing offered