Mr. President,

I thank Special Representative María Isabel Salvador, Executive Director Catherine Russell, and Executive Director Ghada Fathi Waly for their briefings. I welcome the representatives of Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica to today's meeting. I have also listened carefully to Ms. Mirlande Manigat’s statement.

With Haiti's protracted political stalemate, increasingly prevalent gang violence, and increasingly dire humanitarian situation, the tragic plight of the Haitian people has saddened the international community. Over the past three months, the Security Council has adopted three resolutions on Haiti, proposing new goals and initiatives to improve BINUH’s mandate and the security situation in Haiti and strengthen sanctions to combat gangs. This is a strong response by the international community to the multidimensional crisis in Haiti. It also fully shows that a solution to the issue of Haiti can only be achieved with accelerated actions instead of mere talks, and with integrated measures instead of piecemeal ones.

Advancing the political process is fundamental to a comprehensive solution for Haiti. Without a legitimate, effective, and accountable government, it is hard for any external effort in response to the crisis to have a lasting effect. After the assassination of its former president Moïse, Haiti has experienced a political vacuum for more than two years, and the various parties and factions haven’t yet reached a consensus on the political transition arrangements and the roadmap for elections.

China once again calls on all Haitian political parties to bear in mind the fundamental interests of their country and its people, demonstrate in real earnest their sincerity and responsibility for dialogue, and carry out political consultations with the strongest sense of urgency with a view to reaching the broadest possible consensus on transition arrangements, so as to create conditions for holding a free, fair, transparent, and credible election at an early date. China expects that BINUH, under the leadership of SRSG Salvador, will endeavor to promote an inclusive dialogue among all Haitian parties in order to reach a Haitian-led, Haitian-owned solution. We also welcome the continued efforts of CARICOM in promoting a political solution to the crisis in Haiti.

Curbing gang violence is key to a comprehensive solution for Haiti. China hopes that the multinational security support mission authorized by Council Resolution 2699 will contribute to a stable security situation in Haiti. The Security Council must also make good use of the existing sanctions mechanism to effectively deter gang activities. China welcomes the Council's decision to extend for one year the mandate of the sanctions regime for Haiti. We hope that the sanctions committee will work expeditiously to review and update the sanctions list and to monitor and ensure the full and effective implementation of sanctions measures.

The imposition of a comprehensive arms embargo on Haiti is an important outcome of the recent work of the Council. All countries should resolutely implement Council resolutions and cut off the source from which Haitian gangs acquire arms and ammunition. According to the recently released UNODC report, the illegal flow of arms and ammunition into Haiti comes mainly from the United States. We urge the US to effectively strengthen control measures, and call on regional countries to cooperate closely with UNODC and the sanctions committee in support of the Council's continued attention to and monitoring of the relevant work.

The improvement of the humanitarian situation in Haiti is a priority for a comprehensive solution for Haiti. Haiti is in an economic quagmire and a food crisis with a large number of people in displacement. And vulnerable groups such as women and children are particularly in a difficult situation. The Haitian people are not the ones who created the current chaos, but they are the ultimate victims. China is deeply concerned with the increasingly dire humanitarian situation in Haiti, and supports the United Nations and the international and regional partners in continuing to increase humanitarian inputs to Haiti. Recently, some major power in the region, while calling for the evacuation of its own citizens, has continued to forcefully repatriate large numbers of Haitian migrants. We are concerned about this. We call on the country concerned to abide by international humanitarian law and effectively protect the human rights and dignity of Haitian migrants.

Mr. President,

The response to the Haitian crisis cannot be achieved without the support and assistance of the international community. But the key to addressing the issue of Haiti ultimately lies in the hands of the Haitian people. China will continue to work with the international community to support the Haitian people in finding the right path to long-term stability and sustainable development.

I thank you, Mr. President.