Your Excellency Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis,

Thank you for presiding over today’s open debate. I thank Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher, Executive Director Sima Bahous, President Mirjana Spoljaric, and Ms. Janti Soeripto for their respective briefings. 

Recent years have witnessed escalating tensions at the international level and frequent outbreaks of conflict and turmoil. The Secretary-General’s report pointed out that there are more than 120 ongoing armed conflicts worldwide, resulting in 122.6 million people being forcibly displaced and more than 280 million facing acute food insecurity. In the past year alone, over 360 humanitarian workers and more than 870 medical personnel were killed in conflicts. Behind these numbers are countless civilians caught in the crossfire, teetering between life and death, and innumerable families torn apart and separated from their loved ones. The international community must heighten its sense of urgency and take more robust actions to protect civilians. I would like to emphasize the following points.

First, we must strive to eliminate armed conflicts. As long as conflicts persist, the fundamental safety of civilians will remain elusive. All parties to conflicts should commit to settling disputes through dialogue and negotiation and work toward the early restoration of peace and security. States should uphold the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security, adhere to the principle of indivisible security, and jointly build a balanced, effective, and sustainable security architecture. As the organ that bears the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, the Security Council should promote the cessation of hostilities and protect civilians from the scourge of war. In Gaza, innocent lives are lost every day. Achieving a ceasefire and saving lives is an urgent priority that brooks no delay. We urge Israel to immediately halt its military offensive and fully restore access for humanitarian aid. China attaches great importance to the issue of illicit trafficking and abuse of conventional weapons, especially small arms and light weapons, and calls on the international community to take necessary measures to combat this issue. The continued influx of illegal weapons has fueled rampant gang violence in Haiti. A certain country should strictly implement the Security Council’s arms embargo on Haiti.

Second, international humanitarian law must be strictly observed. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must never be targeted in military operations, and the safety and security of UN personnel and humanitarian workers must be guaranteed. Humanitarian aid must not be politicized, and essential supplies such as food and medicine must not be weaponized. These fundamental principles of international humanitarian law are widely recognized, yet they have been repeatedly breached and violated in conflicts. Compliance with international humanitarian law is a binding obligation for all parties, not an optional choice, and double standards or selective application will erode the foundation of international rule of law and incentivize even further violations. The right to life and health of women, children, and girls deserves special attention and priority protection. The abuse and potential weaponization of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence pose serious risks. Countries should adopt a prudent and responsible approach in the military development and use of AI and ensure human control over such weapon systems at all times,

China partnered with Brazil, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan, South Africa, and the ICRC in launching a global initiative on international humanitarian law, with a view to galvanizing the international community’s political commitment to IHL. As of now, over 70 countries have joined this initiative. We call on more countries to follow suit and work together to promote the observance and implementation of international humanitarian law.

Third, it is imperative to build up the governance capacity of conflict-affected countries. States bear the primary responsibility for protecting civilians. When responding to conflicts, the international community should not only address immediate priorities, but also focus on long-term needs, providing targeted support to help the affected countries bolster their capacity to protect civilians. Poverty and underdevelopment are root causes of conflict and major obstacles to its resolution. The international community should increase development assistance to conflict-affected countries, as the saying goes, teaching them how to fish. This includes supporting economic development, promoting employment, eradicating poverty, and improving livelihoods, especially breaking the cycle of inter-generational poverty, in order to gradually eliminate the breeding ground for conflict and violence. UN peacekeeping operations should incorporate capacity building for host countries into their transition strategies at an early date and create conditions for the gradual withdrawal of peacekeepers.

Fourth, international humanitarian assistance must be scaled up. The UN and other humanitarian organizations have brought a ray of hope to civilians suffering from hunger, disease, and displacement. However, since the beginning of this year, humanitarian operations have been significantly scaled back, not because situations have improved or needs have diminished, but due to severe funding cuts. OCHA is currently facing a 60 billion US dollar funding gap, and agencies such as the WFP and UNICEF are also experiencing serious financial shortfalls. As the Secretary-General has pointed out, funding cuts will only aggravate the suffering of ordinary people who rely on aid. We call on the international community, especially traditional donors, to increase their support and ensure that the UN and other humanitarian agencies have sufficient resources to carry out aid operations.

President,

China gives high priority to the issue of protection of civilians, and has consistently promoted the political settlement of hotspot issues, actively participated in UN peacekeeping operations, and worked within the framework of South-South cooperation to help relevant developing countries enhance their governance capacity. China remains committed to working with the international community to free the world from conflict and achieve peace and stability for all.

Thank you, President.