Mr. Chair, 

I thank the 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 Pakistan on behalf of the Group, and would like to add the following comments:

Finance serves as the foundation of and an important element underpinning the UN governance. China always supports the Fifth Committee’s efforts to review the peacekeeping budget under the fact-based, science-based, and prudent principle, to approve the budget on time, and to provide necessary resources to peacekeeping operations. The Secretariat should continue to strengthen the comprehensive budgetary performance, improve internal control, and rigorously enforce financial discipline, to make sure that every penny from member states is well-spent, and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of peacekeeping operations. The peacekeeping budget is not a small number, hence we support the Board of Auditors in fully playing its role as an external audit body to provide valuable recommendations on improving budgetary management. Regarding the proposed peacekeeping budget for the upcoming financial period, we note with concern about the large increase in number, and believe that the peacekeeping budget should be reviewed carefully and comprehensively. We support the UN to reimburse TCC/PCCs in a timely manner.

UN peacekeeping operations have made important contributions to international peace and security. China would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all UN peacekeepers. At the same time, peacekeepers are facing increasing challenges and threats to their safety and security. Last year, more than 110 peacekeeper made the ultimate sacrifice. This march, another 8 peacekeepers lost their lives in a helicopter crash. As the second largest contributor and one of the major TCC/PCCs, China expresses its serious concern in this regard. We hope that the UN will strictly implement the relevant resolutions and initiatives of the Security Council and the General Assembly, by taking effective actions and allocating adequate resources to achieve further progress of the peacekeepers security agenda.

Regarding the financial situation, there will never be a real solution to the liquidity difficulty as long as the root cause remains unresolved. Any potential solution should not lead to additional financial burden for member states, especially developing countries. The largest contributor has not well-fulfilled its financial obligations to the UN over the years. This is unfair to other countries. Reform initiatives aimed at improving the financial situation of the UN should be strictly in line with the spirit of the UN Charter, adhere to the member states-driven principle, strengthen financial discipline, and improve comprehensive budgetary performance. Regarding the investment in prevention and peacebuilding, we believe that channels of peacebuilding financing should be diversified through innovative partnerships, and the UN should clarify its existing mandate arrangements, so as to avoid adding unnecessary financial burden for member states. The peacebuilding budget should be prepared strictly in accordance with the United Nations financial regulations and rules.

Mr. Chair,

At present, the COVID-19 pandemic is still spreading, regional tensions and conflicts are increasing, and the global post-pandemic recovery is under severe challenges. As the largest developing country, China has its own important tasks to undertake, such as combating the pandemic, developing its economic economy, and improving people’s livelihood. However, we have still managed to actively fulfill our financial obligations, and recently contributed more than 200 million dollars to the UN. We call upon all member states, especially those with the paying capacity, to pay their assessed contributions as well as the outstanding arrears in full and on time, in order to support the UN in playing its central role in global governance.

As the pandemic is showing a rebounding trend in New York, we hope that the Bureau and the Secretariat will continuously assess the impact of the pandemic on the meetings. The Chinese delegation will work actively with other member states, and take a constructive part in the consultations on various agenda items. We believe that under the Chair’s strong leadership, this session will achieve full success.

I thank you, Mr. Chair.