Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese delegation takes note of the presentation of the High Commissioner for Refugees. The year 2012 has witnessed fruitful results in international refugee protection. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the international community, a considerable number of refugees from Asia and Africa have received relief and assistance. China wishes to express its appreciation to the High Commissioner and his staff for their contributions to these achievements.

Mr. Chairman,

Facing the current international situation is undergoing complex changes, a multi-polar world, the sustainable development of economic globalization and social informatization. At the same time, the armed conflict, the economic and financial crisis, and food security pose serious challenges to international peace and development.  The current international refugee situation still leaves little room for optimism: faced with the significant number of refugees and IDPs, international humanitarian relief continues to struggle to cope.

The Chinese delegation believes that the international community should take seriously the root causes of the refugee problem, uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, stand firm on solving disputes through peaceful negotiations, and thus reduce the number of refugees and IDPs resulting from armed conflicts. Practical measures should be taken to help developing countries to achieve the MDGs. Adhering to the principle of “international solidarity and burden sharing”, the international community should make joint efforts to find sustained solutions to the refugee problem, and scale up assistance to the Asian and African developing countries which host a large number of refugees.

The UNHCR should further deepen its internal reforms, rationally distribute and utilize resources, strengthen its emergence response abilities, assist developing countries in their capacity building in refugee protection, prevent the politicization and abuse of refugee protection mechanisms, and take practical measures to improve the geographical representation of its staff. China stands for strengthening the protection of UNHCR staff.

Mr. Chairman,

China is playing an active role in the international refugee protection, keeping good cooperation with the UNHCR, and actively promoting the work of domestic refugee legislation. In the future, China stands ready to work with other countries to strengthen the cooperation with the UNHCR, promote international refugee protection, eliminate the root causes of the refugee problem, and dedicate itself to building a harmonious world characterized by lasting peace and common prosperity.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.