Madam President, 

I welcome Her Excellency Foreign Minister Xhaçka as she presides over today's meeting. I thank Secretary-General Guterres for his remarks, and also thank Executive Director Bahous and other briefers for their briefings. 

China is always a supporter, advocate, and practitioner of the international cause of women. China always actively supports the United Nations and regional organizations in strengthening cooperation in the field of women, peace, and security. In connection with the theme of today's meeting, I would like to share the following three points. 

First, the advancement of women's cause is inseparable from a stable political environment. Since last year, many countries from Asia to Africa have experienced major changes in their political situation, some as part of the chain reaction triggered by the hasty withdrawal of foreign troops, while others are a result of the outbreak of conflicts caused by ill-fitting foreign governance models. The international community, while worrying about the erosion of women's rights and interests and the retrogression in gender equality, among others, must see all the more clearly that supporting the countries concerned in exploring a development path that suits their national conditions is the only way for them to maintain political stability. 

It is imperative to respect the sovereignty and ownership of all countries, and oppose external interference and imposition of external solutions. It is necessary to encourage regional solutions that are based on regional realities, support the AU, ASEAN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, ECOWAS, and other organizations in fully leveraging their roles, and provide constructive assistance for the political transition and internal dialogue of these countries. We must support local women and their organizations in participating in the peace process in light of the specific conditions, and ensure women's representation and voice in peace negotiations and political arrangements.

Second, achieving peace is the best protection for women. The victims that bear the brunt of armed conflicts are vulnerable groups such as women. Crisis response and humanitarian assistance are not the end of efforts. The international community must keep to the fundamental direction of political settlement, work to eliminate the root causes of conflict, and step up efforts to promote peace. 

The killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh has once again highlighted the long-standing plight of Palestinian women. To prevent similar incidents from happening again, we must, in the final analysis, implement the two-state solution and restore the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. China appreciates the just stands of the League of Arab States and its member states on the Palestinian question. The international community should work with the Arab League in coordinating the efforts for peace, and based on relevant UN resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative, and other international consensus, advance the Middle East peace process with a greater sense of urgency. 

The plight of women and children in the fighting in Ukraine has caused wide concerns. We encourage the EU to play its due role and create conditions for direct talks of relevant parties and for the restoration of peace. We support the UN in coordinating actions with the EU and  countries in the region to ensure the safety of life and property of Ukrainian citizens, including women and children, to meet their basic humanitarian needs, and to effectively crack down on the human trafficking, sexual exploitation and abuse of women and children refugees. 

Third, the comprehensive advancement of women is the fundamental goal of the women, peace and security agenda. With the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical conflicts intertwined, and global food, energy and financial crises constantly looming, the challenges facing women’s advancement have been mounting. The United Nations and regional organizations should give priority to development, make great efforts to address women's poverty, under-development and other issues, help more women get rid of poverty and hunger, achieve economic autonomy, and create favorable conditions for their effective participation in the peace process. 

Women in regions such as the Horn of Africa and Sahel continue to face increasing food security risks. The international community should speed up the provision of emergency food aid and targeted assistance. Developed countries should effectively honor their commitment to have 0.7% of their national income as ODA. Also facing the challenges of hunger and poverty are tens of millions of Afghan women. Regional initiatives such as the coordination and cooperation mechanism among neighbors of Afghanistan are actively taking steps to help Afghanistan improve its humanitarian situation and stabilize the economy. The countries concerned should immediately stop the economic blockade and unilateral sanctions against Afghanistan, and return the frozen assets of Afghanistan to the Afghan people in full and without conditions as soon as possible. Last March, the Security Council issued a presidential statement on cooperation between the UN and the Arab League, calling for the promotion of women’s economic empowerment and poverty reduction in the region. The UN development agencies should mobilize more resources to provide even stronger support for Arab countries to accelerate their development and achieve the SDGs in the areas of women. 

Thank you, Madam President.