UN General Assembly
2016

For its part, the Government of Mali will fully assume its responsibility under the new mandate. The Government is already working with MINUSMA to swiftly arrive at a shared vision of the implementation of the mandate by establishing measurable benchmarks. Accordingly, I welcome the agreement among all the stakeholders participating in high-level meeting on Mali held this morning concerning the importance of accelerating the implementation of the Peace Agreement, in particular the imperative of correcting the remaining gaps in MINUSMA’s operational capabilities. I cannot end this part of my address without expressing once again the sincere thanks and profound gratitude of the people of Mali for the United Nations and its Member States in providing multifaceted support for the peace process in Mali since January 2012. On behalf of a grateful Malian nation, I would also like to pay tribute to the memory of all of the victims, both civilian and military, Malian and foreign, who have fallen on the field of honour in Mali in the defence of human dignity, freedom and democracy.