Madam Chair,

At the outset, please allow me to congratulate you and other members of the bureau on your election. I would like to assure you of the full support of the Chinese delegation. We are confident that under your able leadership, this session will achieve a complete success. The Chinese delegation associates itself with the statement made by Bolivia on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

China has studied carefully the relevant reports submitted by the Secretary-General and appreciates his analyses and recommendations. At present, the international situation is generally stable. However, with the recovery of the global economy still sluggish, the uncertainty and instability from regional unrest, natural disasters and wide development gap between the north and the south are posing great challenges to social development. The upcoming two years will be critical for international development cooperation to adapt to the future by building upon its past. It is with important practical significance for this session of the Commission for Social Development to continue to deliberate on the priority theme of “promoting empowerment of people in achieving poverty eradication, social integration and full employment and decent work for all”. China wishes to make the following four observations in this regard:

First, the core objectives in social development should be promoted in a balanced manner taking into account the specific national conditions. With differences in national conditions and in levels of development, countries are bound to have different focus and priorities in their social development policies. As pointed out by the SG in his report, there is no one-size-fits-all policy or measure in social development. The 1995 World Summit for Social Development agreed on poverty eradication, social integration and full employment as the core objectives in this field. When formulating and implementing relevant social development policies, all countries should consider their own national circumstances and pursue the objectives in a balanced manner. Promoting and protecting the rights and interests of the people, enhancing the vitality of the society are important for the achievement of the above-mentioned objectives.

Second, it is essential to build and improve social protection system with a view to protecting the rights and interests of vulnerable groups. It is of great significance to enhance social protection system for the healthy development of a society. At present, vulnerable groups such as the poor, the elderly, and persons with disabilities are beset with increasing difficulties, with youth unemployment a chronic issue. People’s empowerment can only be supported and secured by economic development. The protection of vulnerable groups should be approached from the development perspective through instituting and improving social protection system, giving them better access to education and training, providing more employment opportunities so that they become contributors to and beneficiaries of social development process, and better social integration could be achieved.

Third, the international community should strengthen cooperation and scale up its assistance to developing countries in social development. Developing countries face great difficulties and challenges in social development due to weak infrastructure and shortage in human and financial resources. It is imperative for developed countries to show political will by taking concrete actions to provide funding, technology transfer and to assist developing countries in capacity building while respecting their right to choose their own development path. Developed countries should refrain from attaching any conditions to assistance and meddling in the internal affairs of the recipients.

Fourth, the international community should accelerate efforts to achieve MDGs, and formulate post-2015 Development Agenda. Development is the fundamental way to addressing social issues. All countries should step up their efforts to reach MDGs such as eradicating extreme poverty and hunger and achieving universal primary education. 2015 marks the deadline to achieve MDGs. Post-2015 Development Agenda should build upon MDGs and continue to focus on poverty eradication and promoting development. Development should be pushed in an integrated and balanced manner, and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities should be maintained, so as to achieve comprehensive and coordinated development in economic, social and environmental field.

Madam Chair,

As the most populous developing country in the world, China always attaches great importance to social development and has made remarkable achievements in this regard. We have reached ahead of schedule the MDGs to reduce by half the number of people living in poverty, achieved universal coverage of free compulsory education in both urban and rural areas, and established a basic medical and healthcare system and a basic endowment insurance system covering both urban and rural residents. Over the past decade, the Chinese government prioritized employment as the most important livelihood for our people by creating new jobs for 110 million people in urban areas.

At the same time, over 100 million Chinese still live in poverty and the development gap between the urban and rural, the eastern and western regions is still huge, which present daunting challenges to our social development efforts. At present, China is working hard to deepen social reforms by focusing on protecting and improving people’s livelihood and promoting social equity and justice. For this objective, we are reforming income distribution to ensure all people enjoy common prosperity. Institutional innovation is pursued in social field to give everybody equitable access to basic services such as education and healthcare. Efforts are also made to improve the institutions and mechanisms for employment and starting business and build more equitable and sustainable social protection system. Scientific and effective system of social governance is instituted to ensure our society is filled with vitality, harmony and order; development benefits are more equitably shared by all and everybody enjoys a better life. China stands ready to strengthen cooperation with all parties, learn from the good practices, share development experiences and make greater contribution to the development and prosperity of the world.

Thank you, Madam Chair.