President,

I thank Secretary-General António Guterres and Executive Director Catherine Russell for their briefings. I have also listened carefully to the statement made by the civil society representative. I welcome the representatives of Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Barbados at today's meeting. 

With multiple crises compounding each other, the Haitian security situation continues to worsen, its economic development is in a standstill, and the people are suffering deeply. A large number of people do not have enough food. They are displaced and even forced to join gangs. A vast majority of these people are children, the youngest of whom are as young as eight years old. As major donors have drastically reduced their foreign aid, Haiti's humanitarian program this year has only seen 9% of it being funded, thus exacerbating its humanitarian crisis. China deeply sympathizes with the Haitian people, especially the children there, and is deeply concerned about Haiti's prospects. We call on the Haitian authorities, regional countries, and the international community to make joint efforts to help Haiti get out of its predicament as soon as possible. 

First, responsibility must be taken up to promote the political process. The root cause for the chaos in Haiti lies in the absence of a legitimate government and orderly national governance. Although the Haitian transitional authorities have only six months left in their terms of office, they should still work actively and effectively protect their population, especially vulnerable groups such as women and children, so as to rebuild the trust of the Haitian people in the authorities and their confidence in the future of the country. We expect the Haitian authorities to unite all parties and factions, so that the Haitian-led and -owned political process can yield substantive progress at an early date, thus creating conditions and laying foundations for the international community to provide stable, sustainable assistance to Haiti. We welcome BINHU and CARICOM and others to continue their positive role in this regard. 

Second, efforts of all parties must be coordinated to improve the security situation. We call on the Haitian authorities to increase security inputs, rationalize resource allocation, and promote synergy in the international community's security assistance to Haiti. China commends the Kenya-led MSS for its assistance in improving the security situation in Haiti. China calls on the country that initiated and donated to MSS, and in particular, the country that bears primary responsibility for the situation in Haiti, to continue to provide funding support. Meanwhile, the Security Council should implement arms embargo against Haiti and cut off the supply of arms and ammunition to the gangs. China will continue to work with the sanctions committee and UNODC to promote sanctions implementation and increase deterrence against the gangs. China hopes that regional countries, CARICOM, and OAS can continue to increase their support for Haiti. 

Third, the economy and people's livelihoods must be improved to alleviate their humanitarian hardship. We encourage the Haitian authorities to increase their investment in development and improve the livelihoods of the people, especially children. We call on the international community to step up humanitarian assistance to help Haiti eradicate poverty and improve education, health care, and social services, so as to continuously strengthen Haiti's ability to safeguard people's livelihoods and develop the economy on its own. We support ECOSOC, PBC, and UN development and humanitarian agencies to continue to play their due roles in these areas. We call on the international financial institutions, OAS, and other organizations to invest more in helping Haiti develop its economy, improve people's livelihoods, and eliminate the breeding ground for violence. 

Lastly, regarding the proposal to establish a support office for MSS, China believes that any action taken by the Security Council should be based on careful study and ample reasoning, drawing on the lessons learned from past UN operations and taking into account the legitimate concerns and suggestions of all parties. China stands ready to maintain communication with all parties in searching for consensus. China will continue to work with the international community to play our constructive role in helping Haiti emerge out of the crisis at an early date.

I thank you, President.