President,

I thank you for convening this interactive dialogue. I also thank Secretary-General António Guterres for his statement, and the Permanent Representatives of New Zealand and Namibia for their briefings. 

The current international situation is marked by heightened turbulence, with security disorder, development imbalance, and governance failure becoming increasingly pronounced. The UN also faces serious political challenges and financial constraints. The Pact for the Future and the UN80 Initiative have emerged against this background. They embody the international community’s firm commitment to the vision of upholding multilateralism and improving global governance, and reflect Member States’ resolve to make the UN more efficient and effective and ensure that it keeps pace with the times. 

The more challenging the circumstances, the more imperative it is to strengthen the central role of the UN as the most universal, representative, and authoritative intergovernmental organization, enhance the impact of its work across the three pillars of peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights, and support the work of the Secretary-General. Both the Pact and the UN80 Initiative are anchored in safeguarding the authority of the UN and reinforcing its role. This is the important reason why China has actively engaged in these processes and supported efforts to achieve outcomes through relevant discussions. 

While the UN80 Initiative has achieved some milestones, the reform is also entering a more challenging phase. The tasks ahead will be more daunting and complex. China hopes that all Member States and the Secretariat will stay committed to the original purpose of the reform, focus on real actions, and advance the mandate implementation, review, and structural reform in an inclusive and transparent manner. In this process, it is essential to adhere to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, safeguard the leading role and decision-making power of Member States in the reform process, and promote without delay balanced progress across the three pillars. At the same time, political manipulation must be firmly rejected to ensure that the development pillar is not weakened, and that the representation and voice of developing countries are not undermined. 

Whether in implementing the Pact or advancing UN reform, efforts must be sustained from beginning to end. They must serve the long-term interests of the broad membership and ensure that the outcomes stand the test of time. China stands ready to work with all parties to advance these processes for concrete outcomes, so as to inject stronger impetus into the cause of world peace and development. 

Thank you, President.