Signing of the partnership agreement between the High Authority for the Fight against Corruption of the Republic of Congo (HALC) and the International Council for Intellectual Transmission (CITI) on September 18, 2023
(free translation)
Speech by the First Vice-President of CITI,
Mr. Pierre-Stanley PÉRONO
Mr. Emmanuel OLLITA ONDONGO, President of the High Authority for the Fight Against Corruption of the Republic of Congo (HALC),
Ladies and gentlemen in your respective ranks, grades, and capacities,
I have experienced two great moments in my tumultuous yet young existence.
The First was the day I took my oath at the Paris Bar, thus entering the priesthood that is the legal profession, that is to say, the circle of those who are not content to theorize about freedom, but who practice it in daily combat with the burdens of society.
The Second is the one we have been experiencing for the past few days, where my feet have trodden the Mother Continent and my breath has “flirted” with that of the Congo River, the gigantic, the titanic, laden with the noble weight of a thousand years of history.
This moment is all the more striking because it is marked by the most beautiful irony in history.
I am Haitian, of African descent, born in Haiti, the first black empire and republic of modern times.
This means that more than five centuries ago, the forces of Greater Europe came and tore me away from the continent where it all began.
With leg chains!
And now, more than five centuries later, I return for the first time to the Cradle of Humanity to represent a French organization, the International Council for Intellectual Transmission (known as CITI or C.I.T.I.), a century-old French organization with participatory status at the Council of Europe, that concert of forty-seven states based in Strasbourg, bearer of the famous European Convention on Human Rights, the European Court of Human Rights, and GRECO (Group of States against Corruption).
And I return to the Cradle of Humanity not in chains but with the honors you have bestowed upon me through the warm welcome you gave to the CITI delegation.
And I return not in chains but with open arms to discuss cooperation with a view to better promoting human rights through the fight against corruption, the spearhead of preserving the right of peoples to fully enjoy the riches of their land, their culture, their history, and their genius.
So I ask you: Is there any greater irony in History?
And speaking of History, I would particularly like to pay tribute to and express my admiration for the superior, historic intelligence of the President of HALC, Mr. Emmanuel OLLITA ONDONGO, who understood the importance for the future of establishing this partnership between CITI and HALC.
I would like to remind you that CITI, the International Council for Intellectual Transmission, is a century-old international non-governmental organization, created in 1923, which has played an important role in raising awareness and recognition of the rights of intellectual workers throughout the 20th century, and in particular during the interwar period. CITI has participatory status with the Council of Europe and consultative or observer status with several international organizations such as UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), ILO (International Labor Organization) and WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization).
This is to say to you, Mr. OLLITA ONDONGO, Mr. President, that through this partnership, you are establishing yourself as a visionary.
As President of the High Authority for the Fight Against Corruption in Congo Brazzaville, but also and above all as former President of the Association of African Anti-Corruption Authorities, through this partnership you are building a bridge between the Mother Continent and Europe that will last for decades to come.
The current President of CITI, to whom I pay tribute, Mr. Claude-Laurent GENTY, was for nearly ten years the worthy President of the Conference of International Non-Governmental Organizations with participatory status with the Council of Europe, and the first President of this Conference. Like you, Mr. OLLITA ONDONGO, he is a visionary. Under his leadership, CITI has positioned itself as a key player in promoting, innovating, amplifying, transmitting, and exchanging ideas in the field of development, now focused on the major societal and environmental challenges of the 21st century.
I was often told, over and over again, at the School of Economic Warfare in Paris, that awareness and a long-term vision were essential for building great nations and great destinies.
I can say that by signing this partnership agreement with you, Mr. OLLITA ONDONGO, and by signing it as the representative of the President of CITI, Mr. Claude-Laurent GENTY, Providence has positioned me, in a moment of life, at the junction of two great personalities who have been able to perceive the meaning of this long-term perspective, which shapes history, sometimes slowly but surely.
Mr. OLLITA ONDONGO, it can be said without question that His Excellency Denis SASSOU-N’GUESSO, President of the Republic and Head of State, was right to appoint you to this noble position. Your wisdom, your distinctive management style, even in your simplest gestures and your demeanor, your calmness and your courage are all strengths that will successfully advance the wish so dear to the President of the Republic.
To clean up public finances and promote good governance with a view to creating a favorable climate for international donors, national and international investors, and bringing the Republic of Congo into the ranks of emerging countries.
In this regard, the HALC is the government’s flagship institution.
Through its work to consolidate public finances and promote good governance, the HALC is working to bring peace to the hearts of every Congolese man and woman, in accordance with the social contract.
I would be remiss if I did not thank the other Members of the CITI delegation present here today, namely Ms. Florine AMOUGOU, CITI Vice President in charge of relations with Africa, whose contribution has been instrumental in bringing our two institutions closer together, and Mr. Francisco QUEIRUGA, CITI Secretary General, for his support and involvement.
A big thank you also to Mr. Ésaïe KIMFOKO, who has worked so hard and without whom this partnership would never have seen the light of day.
Finally, I cannot conclude without expressing my heartfelt thanks to the entire team at the High Authority for the Fight against Corruption, such a charming team that spared no effort to make our stay in Congo one of the most memorable.
On behalf of CITI, we reiterate our commitment to supporting HALC in accordance with its aspirations and needs in a spirit of Brotherhood.
Thank you.
Pierre-Stanley PÉRONO,
First Vice President of CITI,
Brazzaville, September 18, 2023
Pierre-Stanley PÉRONO is a business lawyer, registered with the Paris Bar, and an expert in economic intelligence and strategic management. He is the founding president of CABINET PÉRONO CONSEILS, where he works on lobbying, business law, project financing, and international trade cases. He is an economically and socially engaged actor in Europe, Africa, and Latin America on several levels, notably as a member of the Delegation of the Center for Strategic Studies and Forecasting to the Council of Europe, as a member of the Migration Issues Committee of the COING of the Council of Europe, as First Vice-President of the European Academy of Strasbourg, and as an expert on the list of experts of the Caribbean Chamber of Commerce in Europe.
