Mr. Chair, 

At the outset, I wish to thank you for facilitating the Committee for the positive outcomes in the First Resumed Session. My appreciation also goes to members of the Bureau, the ACABQ and the Secretariat of the Fifth Committee for their preparation for this meeting. China associates itself with the statement made by Cuba on behalf of the G77 and China, and would like to add the following comments:

Finance serves as the foundation of and an important element underpinning the UN governance. As the largest single budget of this organization, the budget for peacekeeping operations runs into billions of dollars. China always supports the Fifth Committee’s efforts to review the budget under the science-based and prudent principle, and to provide necessary resources for PKOs to fulfill their mandates. The Secretariat should continue to strengthen the comprehensive budgetary performance and improve internal control, so as to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of PKOs. We note the relatively large increase in the peacekeeping budget proposed by the Secretary-General for the 2023/2024 fiscal year, which may raise financial burdens for Member States, many of which have concerns over. It is a shared view that the peacekeeping budget should be reviewed carefully and comprehensively. China supports the Board of Auditors in fully playing its role as an external audit body to provide valuable recommendations on improving budgetary management. We support the UN to reimburse TCC/PCCs in a timely manner.

Ever since the first time China dispatched its formed military unit of Blue Helmets to UN Peacekeeping Operations, we have sent more than 50,000 peacekeepers to PKOs over the past 30 years, and have set up an 8,000-strong peacekeeping standby force. China takes practical actions to actively fulfill the obligations and shoulder the responsibilities to maintain international peace and security. Peacekeeping missions should use resources effectively to implement core mandates. At present, peacekeepers are facing increasing challenges and threats to their safety and security with instabilities rising in different regions. As the largest troop contributor among P5 and the second largest financial contributor for UN PKOs, China expresses its serious concern in this regard. We hope that the UN will strictly implement the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly, allocate adequate resources, and accurately assess and effectively remove all risks threatening the life of peacekeepers, so as to achieve further progress of the peacekeepers security agenda.

The agenda item of Investing in Prevention and Peacebuilding has been deferred three times since the discussion began last year. China attaches great importance to peacebuilding and we have been actively engaged in and proposed a constructive solution that complies with the current UN budgetary and financial regulations and rules. We are of the view that the regulations and traditions in UN management areas should be fully respected. The historical responsibility of developed countries as major donors to peacebuilding financing cannot and should not be changed. When using assessed contributions for peacebuilding, it is imperative to respect the supervisory rights of Member States accordingly. This is a shared concern of many Member States including China, and should be treated with due regard and addressed prudently.

Mr. Chair,

The Chinese delegation will work actively with other Member States, and continue to constructively participate in the discussions and consultations of various agenda items. We believe that under the Chair’s strong leadership, this session will achieve full success.

I thank you, Mr. Chair.