Madam President,

I would like to thank Special Representative of the Secretary-General Honoré for her briefing. China appreciates the vigorous efforts of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and, in particular, those of Ms. Honoré herself in maintaining peace and stability in Haiti.

In the recent period, the political and stabilization process in Haiti has registered continued progress. A new electoral law was enacted late last year, and the national dialogue process was launched earlier this year. The capacity of the Haitian National Police force continues to improve, and the security situation across the country, in particular the situation in the five departments vacated by the Mission, has remained stable. At the same time, tensions exist between the executive and legislative branches, coupled with sluggish economic growth and a precarious humanitarian situation. The peaceful reconstruction of the country remains an uphill battle. The improvement of the situation in Haiti requires first and foremost concrete measures on the part of all stakeholders in Haiti. At the same time, the international community should actively provide assistance. China is of the view that, in the way forward, efforts must be made in the following three areas.

First, we must actively facilitate relevant election processes. We hope that all parties in Haiti will resolve their differences through dialogue and reach a consensus as early as possible on electoral matters, with a view to ensuring a smooth general election later this year and further consolidating national stability.

Secondly, the international community should take concrete steps to honour its pledges to Haiti and actively participate in the reconstruction process of Haiti. Haiti has the highest occurrence of cholera in the world, and the scale of the epidemic is alarming. China welcomes the efforts of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for the elimination of cholera and welcomes the appointment of the Secretary-General’s Senior Coordinator for Cholera Response. China calls on all Member States to continue to provide financial and technical support to Haiti’s cholera control programme.

Thirdly, we hope that MINUSTAH, in accordance with the mandate given to the Mission by the Security Council, continues to assist Haiti in maintaining security and stability, promoting the political process and strengthening the rule of law and institutional capacity-building in order to provide a stable environment for the economic and social development of Haiti.

China has taken note of the preliminary options outlined by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with regard to the United Nations configuration in Haiti beyond 2016. We hope that the Secretariat, on the basis of the Secretary-General’s proposals and on the basis of careful study of the situation on the ground, will prepare a more detailed plan accordingly.

China stands ready to maintain close contact with other members of the Council in that regard.

Thank you, Madam President.