EU Statement – UN Peacebuilding Commission: São Tomé and Príncipe

EU Statement - UN Peacebuilding Commission: São Tomé and Príncipe

12 June 2026, New York - Statement on behalf of the European Union at the UN Peacebuilding Commission Ambassadorial-level meeting on São Tomé and Príncipe

Chair, Excellencies,

Allow me to express our appreciate for the presentations, including on the progress on the national prevention strategy of Sao Tome and Principe.

The development of such strategies, in collaboration with the UN and with support from the Peacebuilding Fund illustrate very well how we can encourage such nationally owned conflict prevention initiatives.

We see the fact that Sao Tome and Principe is returning to the PBC again this year as a sign of commitment to sustaining peace. It also illustrates how the PBC and the PBF jointly can reinforce national prevention efforts.

From the EU side we continue to actively support São Tomé and Príncipe in the strengthening and consolidation of democratic governance and rule of law. We welcome the country's commitment and efforts to reform the justice and security sectors, as well as the progress made in establishing a National Human Rights Commission.

Justice remains one of the main areas of EU cooperation with São Tomé and Príncipe, in close collaboration with Portugal. We encourage the national authorities to continue coordinating support from international partners in this domain.

Chair, Excellencies,

The government's commitment to democracy is important for the country and for the region and it is crucial in this election year to maintain the course of democracy. At the government's invitation, the EU will deploy an Election Observation Mission for both the presidential [19 July] as well as the parliamentary and local [27 September] elections.

We welcome the commitment demonstrated by the Santomean authorities to implement key recommendations from the 2022 EU Election Observation Mission to improve future electoral processes. The EU and its Member States supported the implementation of some of these recommendations through bilateral and thematic programmes.

In conclusion, the EU remains committed to supporting the peacebuilding efforts of Sao Tome and Principe and look forward to a sustained engagement with the PBC.

Thank you