Madam President,

China would like to thank you for convening today’s meeting. We also thank Ms. Bintou Keita, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Maman Sidikou, Permanent Secretary of the Group of Five for the Sahel, Ms. Fatima Kyari Mohammed, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations, and Мr. Joáo Vale de Almeida, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations, for their briefings.

In December 2017, the Council adopted resolution 2391 (2017) on the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel (G-5 Sahel). Since its adoption, progress has been made in the Joint Force’s deployment and support, which China welcomes. At the same time, however, the Sahel region is facing multifaceted challenges, including a fragile security situation, spreading terrorism and increasingly serious transnational organized crime. We call on the international community to increase its involvement and to take an integrated approach to those challenges. I would like to make the following points.

First, we need to step up support for the Joint Force, which represents an important contribution to peace and security in Africa and the world at large. The international community should fully respect and maximize Africa’s leadership in seeking solutions to African problems, and should support the countries of the region and regional organizations in their efforts to safeguard peace and security in the Sahel region. The G-5 Sahel States, the European Union and the United Nations held a successful pledging conference for the Joint Force and signed the technical agreement requested in resolution 2391 (2017). The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) is ready to provide its support, and China expresses its appreciation for that. We hope that MINUSMA will actively provide the support needed once necessary conditions such as funding are in place, and will evaluate its experience in practice. China commends the Secretary-General’s report (S/2018/432) for submitting proposals on support, which we will study with other Member States.

Second, the political settlement of the relevant regional hotspot issues should be prioritized. On the basis of respect for the sovereignty of the countries concerned, the international community should actively support the countries of the region in taking forward the peace process, promoting national reconciliation and continuing to work to calm and resolve the relevant hotspot issues, thereby helping to create conditions conducive to lasting peace and stability in the Sahel region. Right now, support should be given to all the relevant parties in Mali in order to expedite the implementation of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali and seriously address the spillover effect on the Sahel issues from outside the region, such as the Libyan crisis, in order to minimize their negative impact.

Third, support for counter-terrorism efforts in the Sahel region should be increased, given the gravity of the situation. The international community should ramp up its support and help the relevant United Nations counter-terrorism agencies play an active role in that regard. Terrorism is the common enemy of all humankind. We must crack down on it resolutely, whenever and wherever it appears. All countries should adhere to unified standards and act with resolve to eradicate all the terrorist organizations listed by the Security Council. The international counter-terrorism operations should ensure the leading role of the United Nations, including the Security Council, while upholding the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the other universally recognized basic norms governing international relations, and strengthening coordination.

Fourth, we should appreciate and make the best possible use of the role of regional mechanisms. China values the positive role that African countries and organizations such as the G-5 Sahel, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States have been playing in seeking solutions. The international community should strengthen its communication and coordination with the countries of the region and with regional and subregional organizations, and work to align the individual strategies of the countries and the region with the United Nations integrated strategy for the Sahel, maximizing their relative advantages to create synergies. The United Nations is revising its integrated strategy, and China hopes that the those efforts will take serious account of the views of the countries in the region and meet the real needs of the countries concerned.

China supports African countries in seeking African solutions to African problems. We also support Africa’s regional and subregional organizations, including the G-5 Sahel, in their efforts to address the problems of peace and security in Africa. We are ready to work with the members of the Council and the international community to make positive contributions to the security and development of the Sahel region.

Thank you, Madam President.