Mr. President,

I would like to thank Foreign Minister H.E. Miguel Vargas Maldonado for his statement. I also thank Director-General Mr. Qu Dongyu, Executive Director Mr. David Beasley, and Mr. Jan Egeland for their briefings.

War and armed conflicts result in catastrophes and grievances. They may threaten innocent civilians' survival, destroy infrastructures, affect the development of the countries concerned, and lead to humanitarian crisis, including the worsening of food insecurity.

It is recognizable that FAO, WPF and other international organizations follow the situation very closely, keep insight on conflict-induced hunger issues and bring focused observations and recommendations. We also appreciate the initiative of the Dominican Republic to have this meeting.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the breakdown of the global industrial chain have also impacted the economies and food security of member states. Desert locust infestations are rampant in Africa and Asia, increasing global food security risks. Against this backdrop, there is added value to have discussions on this topic. I wish to share the following points:

First, it is imperative to prevent and resolve conflicts, and promote dialogue and political settlement of hot-spot issues.

The Security Council should keep up to its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and promote the resolution of conflicts through political and diplomatic means, in order to relieve civilians from sufferings of war, including from hunger.

We urge all relevant parties to actively support and act on the global ceasefire appeal and cessation of hostilities, made by the Secretary-General. All actions should be taken by parties concerned to ensure unhindered humanitarian access, including food supply. The international community should pay higher attention to issues in Africa and support the good offices and mediation efforts of the AU and other regional organizations.

Second, it is essential to promote inclusive and balanced development, and always put development at the core place.

It is difficult to achieve development without peace, and also hard to realize sustaining peace without development. Development is fundamental to solving various global issues. It's especially important to support the efforts of Africa and other regions to eradicate poverty and advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Greater attention and inputs should be given to the reconstruction of conflict areas, promoting political and economic processes, and peace-keeping and peace-building processes in parallel, while increasing the development capacity of countries concerned, to prevent food crisis and other humanitarian disasters fundamentally.

Third, it is critical to strengthen international cooperation and set favorable conditions to promote global food security.

The international community should jointly take urgent actions to ensure unobstructed global food supply chain and maintain food supply and price stability. We must support FAO and WFP in playing their unique coordinating role in providing humanitarian assistance to countries concerned to prevent large-scale famine.

Unilateral sanctions must be lifted as soon as possible. Member states should stabilize industrial supply chains, reduce tariff barriers, facilitate trade and ensure the uninterrupted global supply of food and agricultural products.

Humanitarian operations should be conducted in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and relevant humanitarian guiding principles, while respecting sovereignty of countries concerned. Mr. President, China, as a large agricultural nation, attaches great importance to food security. On the basis of achieving food self-sufficiency, China is always actively engaged in international cooperation in agriculture and food.

We have provided assistance to other developing countries within our capacity, among other means, by carrying out projects, together with FAO, in the framework of South-South cooperation, and sending experts and technicians to Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean region.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 and the Asian-African locust plague, China has given active support to other countries in combating the epidemic. In active response to the FAO initiative and the requests of the relevant countries, China has sent locust control teams to share experience and help the affected countries. Positive results have been achieved. China is ready to strengthen cooperation with all parties to safeguard global food security, and work together to create a world free from hunger and poverty. We are ready to provide solid support for all peoples in their quest for greater development, and make greater contributions to building a world of lasting peace and common prosperity and a better future shared by all mankind.

Thank you, Mr. President.