President,

I thank Your Excellency Tanja Fajon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, for presiding over this meeting, and thank Special Representative Roza Otunbayeva and Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous for their briefings.

Last month marked the third anniversary of the Afghan interim government. In the face of the mess left behind by the hasty withdrawal of foreign troops, the Afghan authorities have worked hard to stabilize the security situation, improve the economy and people’s livelihoods, and strengthen regional and international dialogue and cooperation. These momentum is not easy to come by. At the same time, Afghanistan continues to face multiple challenges. The recent vice and virtue law has raised international concerns. We note that UNAMA is continuously tracking and studying its practical implications. We call on the Afghan interim government to pay attention to the legitimate concerns of the international community and take measures to effectively protect the basic rights of women and girls. Meanwhile, we must realize that women’s rights and interests cannot be realized in a vacuum and that microphone diplomacy will not help solve the problem. We hope that the international community will take a comprehensive and objective view of the situation in Afghanistan, support its peaceful reconstruction and economic recovery, help it eliminate the root causes of instability and underdevelopment, and create conditions conducive to safeguarding the rights and interests of all its people, including women. I would like to highlight the following points.

First, maintaining the momentum of interactions with the Afghan authorities. China appreciates the fact that the UN made it possible for the Afghan authorities to send a representative to attend for the first time the third Doha meeting and interact effectively with all parties. We hope that the implementation of outcomes of the meeting will serve as an opportunity to encourage the international community to strengthen its engagement and cooperation with the Afghan authorities under the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned principle, so as to gradually enhance mutual understanding and trust and to find pragmatic ways to resolve contradictions and differences. In order to respond to the trend of engagement and dialogue between the international community and Afghan authorities, the Council should expeditiously reactivate the package of exceptions to travel ban on members of the interim government of Afghanistan and make timely adjustments to the 1988 sanctions regime.

Second, scaling up efforts to help Afghanistan overcome its difficulties. Nearly 24 million people in Afghanistan are in need of humanitarian assistance and 12.4 million people are facing serious food insecurity, while only less than 1/3 of the humanitarian funds are available. With winter approaching, many people in Afghanistan are facing a harsh test of survival. Traditional donors need to invest more in relief efforts more effectively, and not use humanitarian aid as a means of political pressure. Overseas assets of Afghanistan is Afghan people’s life-saving money. The US should unconditionally unfreeze and return them all to the Afghan authorities. Development is a fundamental way to improve the likelihoods of the Afghan people. We look forward to the early and actual effects of the two working groups on private sector development and counter-narcotics initiated at the third meeting of the Special Envoys, so as to help Afghanistan address its urgent needs. The Secretary-General’s report has repeatedly pointed out that the rebuilding of the financial system is key to unlocking Afghanistan’s economic potential. However, illegal unilateral sanctions are a heavy yoke on the Afghan banking sector. We urge the countries concerned to immediately end illegal unilateral sanctions and respect Afghanistan’s legitimate rights to development.

Third, supporting the Afghan interim government in its resolute fight against terrorism. Terrorist forces such as Da’esh, Al-Qaida, and ETIM are still active in Afghanistan, posing a threat to Afghanistan and international and regional security. We call on the interim government of Afghanistan to take vigorous actions to resolutely combat the various terrorist forces in its territory, and to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming an enclave for terrorist organizations. Terrorism is often intertwined with drug-related crimes. The international community should support Afghanistan in launching alternative cultivation and drug rehabilitation programs and in combating the smuggling networks of narcotics, so as to continuously consolidate achievements in the fight against narcotics.

President,

China appreciates the efforts of Special Representative Otunbayeva and UNAMA to help Afghanistan address humanitarian and development challenges and to reintegrate into the international community. Neighboring and regional countries also play an active role in improving the situation in the country. This July, the Astana Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization sent a unanimous voice in support of peaceful development of Afghanistan. The fifth Foreign Minister meeting of Afghanistan’s neighbors will be held in Turkmenistan this year. As a friendly neighbor of Afghanistan, China is ready to work with regional countries and the international community to continue to provide assistance to the Afghan people to the best of its ability and to promote lasting peace, security, development, and prosperity of Afghanistan.

Thank you, President.