Delivered By: HE Mohamed Abushahab, Ambassador and Permanent Representative

Mr. President

I commend Foreign Secretary Cooper for presiding over this meeting and for placing the protection of civilians – and particularly women and girls – at the center of today’s discussion.

I thank Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo and Director Wosornu for their insightful briefings as well as Ms. Al Karib for her valuable insights.

While I regret that she repeated unfounded allegations against my country, which we categorically reject, there is much in her statement that we agree with. It is vital that the voices of independent Sudanese civilians, and particularly those of women and youth, are at the center of everything the Council does on Sudan.

Mr. President,

For nearly three years, the Sudanese people have endured a devastating conflict, grave violations of international law, and unimaginable human suffering.

The United Arab Emirates condemns all violations of international law by the warring parties, including the deliberate targeting of civilians and the use of starvation and sexual violence as weapons of war.

We also strongly condemn attacks on humanitarian workers, including the recent targeting of a World Food Program convoy in North Kordofan.

Such violations must immediately end, and the perpetrators must be held accountable. Those who have endured such horrors must have access to necessary care, including health care services and psychosocial support.

It is now the third consecutive Ramadan that the Sudanese people are forced to endure under bombardment. The third consecutive Ramadan where calls for a ceasefire are ignored by the warring parties who fight on, with blatant disregard for the suffering of the Sudanese people, despite the international community’s outcries.

Mr. President,

While hostilities continue to rage across Sudan, escalatory rhetoric from the warring parties fuels ever more division, hate and extremism.

Their wartime narratives sustain the illusion of a military solution, where in reality there is none. Only a political process can secure sustainable peace for Sudan.

The UAE therefore supports the Comprehensive Peace Plan for Sudan announced by the United States, which offers the best pathway toward a political transition to a civilian-led government.

We commend President Trump’s leadership in working to prevent Sudan from sliding further into extremism, fragmentation, and an even deeper humanitarian catastrophe. The fastest way to achieve this is by securing an immediate, unconditional, humanitarian truce and ensuring urgent, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access throughout Sudan.

The UAE reaffirms its commitment to working through the Quad, under US leadership, to achieve such a truce.

The future of Sudan must not be shaped through violence, nor dictated by its warring parties.

It can only be realized through a permanent ceasefire, and a credible political process leading to a civilian government that is fully independent of the warring parties and extremist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates.

We urge the warring parties to heed the calls of the international community and engage seriously and in good faith in a political process, thereby choosing dialogue over destruction and placing the interests of the Sudanese people over all other considerations.

This moment demands courage – not on the battlefield, but at the negotiating table.

Thank you, Mr. President.