Madam President, 

I thank Special Envoy Geir Pedersen and Assistant Secretary-General Joyce Msuya for their briefings. I have listened carefully to the statement by Ms. Nirvana Shawky.

Last month, the seventh meeting of the Syrian constitutional committee core group was held in Geneva. According to the consensus reached in advance, delegates held in-depth discussions on constitutional texts, and submitted their revisions. This is a result of the diligent mediation efforts by Special Envoy Pedersen, which China welcomes. China calls on all parties in Syria to maintain communications with Special Envoy Pedersen, strengthen the consultations on specific texts, and continue to advance the Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process. 

It is worth noting that Syria still faces a complex security situation. Therefore, progress made in resolving major issues concerning serious national security, such as foreign occupation and terrorism, can help create necessary conditions for the political process. China stands ready to work with the UN, the guarantor states of the Astana process, and relevant countries in the region to make greater efforts to resolve the abovementioned two outstanding issues. 

Madam President, 

The economic and humanitarian situation in Syria is not optimistic. It is the responsibility of the international community to help the Syrian people overcome difficulties and move forward with reconstruction. Resolution 2585 emphasizes the importance of helping Syria cope with economic and social impacts of the pandemic, and promote reconstruction projects in areas such as water resources, medical care, and education. The international community should earnestly implement the provisions of the resolution by providing humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to the Syrian people without precondition, and help them obtain sustainable basic services. China welcomes that the UN will allocate 26% of the resources for the Syrian humanitarian response plan to carry out 570 early recovery projects. We hope that these projects can truly improve people’s livelihoods, reduce humanitarian needs, and save more lives in Syria. 

China welcomes the third cross-line aid operation recently launched by the UN in northwestern Syria. We appreciate the Syrian Government’s active cooperation in the operation, and urge relevant parties in the northwest to provide access and security guarantee for the cross-line operation to facilitate the distribution of assistance. The cross-border humanitarian aid mechanism is controversial politically, legally and in practice. Previous Secretary-General’s report pointed out that the environment for cross-border aid operation is complex, and the risk of humanitarian supplies being misappropriated by terrorists cannot be ruled out. The UN should strengthen the monitoring of cross-border aid operations to ensure their humanitarian nature and at the same time strive to promote the gradual transition of cross-border operation to cross-line operation. 

Finally, I would like to once again call on the countries concerned to lift the unilateral coercive measures against Syria to restore the rights of the Syrian people to develop their economy, conduct trade, and rebuild their country. 

I thank you, Madam President.