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Statement by Ambassador Dai Bing at the Opening of the Main Session of the Fifth Committee of the 77th UN General Assembly

2022-10-03 12:30

Mr. Chair,

I would like to start by congratulating you on assuming the Chairmanship of the Fifth Committee. You can count on China’s full support for your work. We commend the work by members of the Bureau, the ACABQ, and the Secretariat for the preparation of this meeting. China associates itself with the statement by Pakistan on behalf of “G77 and China”, and wishes to make the following comments:

At the recent UNGA General Debate, leaders around the world strongly called for greater unity and cooperation in addressing global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, food security, and climate change. Multilateralism remains the broad consensus of the international community, and a stronger role of the UN meets the expectation of all Member States. China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of the international order, a provider of public goods, and a mediator of hot-spot issues. We always promote and practice true multilateralism, remain actively engaged in the reform and improvement of the global governance system, and firmly uphold the UN-centered international system, the international order underpinned by international law, and the UN’s central role in international affairs.

Finance serves as the foundation of and an important element underpinning the UN governance. To maintain the role of the UN, all Member States must shoulder their responsibilities and fulfill their obligations. The current financial situation of the UN remains worrying. Despite repeated calls by most Member States and the Secretary-General’s letters to Member States expressing his concerns, one major contributor still has long-time arrears, which is the main cause of the UN’s liquidity crisis. China, as always, actively fulfills its financial obligations, and has fully paid the assessments to the regular budget this year. We call on Member States, especially major contributors, to fulfill their financial obligations on time and in full. Member States should translate their promises into actions, to ensure the UN’s work and mandate implementation.

Several important items will be reviewed during this main session. We call on all parties to have broad consultations, and strive for win-win cooperation. China believes that program planning should adhere to the Member States-driven principle, and take into account the legitimate interests and aspirations of Member States. The function of the CPC should only be strengthened, not weakened, and relevant Main Committees should play their due roles. Program budget should be maintained at a reasonable level, and sufficient resources should be guaranteed for development as a priority. The Secretariat should improve comprehensive budgetary performance, enhance cost-saving and efficiency gain, strengthen budget discipline, address existing problems in a timely manner, and make sure that every penny from Member States is well-managed and well-spent. The UN bodies and departments should focus on their core functions, and avoid unnecessary expansion and duplication of mandates to ensure efficiency and prevent waste.

On the trial period of annual budget, China is of the view that the budget modality should be scientific and reasonable. It should effectively improve the accuracy and stability of budget preparation, and promote the implementation and performance of the budget and programs. The reform cannot be rushed. China supports an in-depth evaluation of the performance of the annual budget reform during the trial period, and a full comparison of the advantages and disadvantages among the budget modalities. We also support a comprehensive analysis of other potential impacts of the reform.

As the most important external auditing body, the Board of Auditors should play its role of independent oversight function. Relevant bodies should draw lessons from the financial irregularities of the UNOPS, strengthen financial management and oversight accountability, and prevent similar problems from recurring. On peacebuilding financing, we should clarify the mandate scope of the Peacebuilding Fund, and strengthen its management and the participation of Member States. In this regard, the concerns of African countries need to be fully taken into account. The UN should also take more effective measures to improve the geographical representation of developing countries in the Secretariat, and properly address the concerns of underrepresented countries.

The Chinese delegation will always constructively participate in the discussion and consultation of various items, and support the Chair’s work. We will work with all parties to ensure the completion of the agenda and the delivery of expected outcomes.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Photo: Xie E

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