President, 

I thank Special Representative Maria Isabel Salvador, UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly, and UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell for their briefings, and I welcome the presence of the foreign minister of the Dominican Republic and the representative of Haiti at today’s meeting.

In recent months, the crisis in Haiti has deteriorated and continued to worsen. This is deeply worrying. How to reverse the crisis and how to help the Haitian people out of their plight is a question that will require concerted global efforts to translate existing consensus into real actions. China is of the following views. 

First, the political process in Haiti needs to be accelerated urgently. The prolonged absence of a legitimate government is the root cause of Haiti's predicament. Recently, thanks to CARICOM's mediation efforts, relevant Haitian parties and factions have made positive progress in political transition, and the issue of government legitimacy which has dragged on for years, has seen some hope of turning for the better. We hope that the Haitian parties will put the future of the country and the best interests of its people first and advance political transition on the basis of thorough consultations and inclusive dialogue, and ensure that relevant arrangements are well suited to Haiti’s realities and supported by the Haitian people, so as to lay the groundwork for the holding of free, fair, transparent, and credible elections at an early date. External partners must stay impartial, play a constructive role in advancing the political process, and help create a favorable atmosphere. In this regard, we welcome the efforts of CARICOM and regional countries as well as the continued support and cooperation of BINUH.

Second, collective efforts are required to address the humanitarian crisis. As the political and security crises continue to evolve, Haiti faces a struggling economy, massive displacement of people, and harsh living conditions for women and children, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis. China supports the UN and regional partners in scaling up their support for Haiti in the humanitarian and development fields. We encourage all agencies and departments to better coordinate and synergize their efforts to provide greater assistance to the Haitian people, especially to vulnerable groups such as women and children.

Third, a multi-pronged approach is needed to crack down on gangs at the source. It has been six months since the Council adopted Resolution 2699 on the deployment of a multinational security support mission in Haiti. We hope that the lead country will expeditiously carry out consultations with Haiti to discuss specific plans of action and ensure that relevant arrangements are supported by the Haitian people. As indicated in the reports by UNODC and media coverage, large quantities of weapons and ammunition are still flowing into Haiti, unimpeded and unrelenting, with the US being one of the main sources. Strengthening the Council sanctions and in particular, ensuring effective implementation of the arms embargo, is vitally called for and is an essential step in the current fight against gang violence in Haiti. In this connection: 

The panel of experts under the sanctions committee needs to expedite its investigations to trace the sources of arms and ammunition and should keep the committee informed of its progress in a timely manner.

Member States need to effectively implement what is required by Council resolutions, strengthen export controls on firearms and ammunition, cooperate with the panel on its work, enhance information sharing and operational coordination, and report relevant information to the sanctions committee in a timely manner.

The Haitian authorities need to assume their responsibilities by requiring all departments to tighten control on inflows of illicit weapons and close loopholes in domestic regulation and oversight. 

BINUH needs to step up its advocacy to enable all segments of Haitian society to better understand and implement Council resolutions and work together with UNODC and others to help bolster the capacity of Haitian customs and border control authorities.

To conclude, let me reiterate our support for SRSG Salvador, to BINUH, and to all UN agencies operating in Haiti. Also, I would like to express appreciation to the Government of the Dominican Republic for its enormous assistance to various countries in the previous personnel evacuation. Together with the international community, China will continue to support and assist the Haitian people in finding the right path out of this multi-dimensional crisis and towards achieving long-term peace and security at an early date.

Thank you, President.