President, 

China appreciates the work done by the Brazilian chairmanship of the Peacebuilding Commission last year and supports the German chairmanship of the PBC this year. We thank the Secretary-General for his reports on peacebuilding and on the Peacebuilding Fund. 

Peacebuilding is an important means for the UN to promote the realization of lasting peace. The current international landscape is marked by intertwined turbulence and instability, with conflict and wars flaring up one after another, and the governance deficit continuing to widen, posing even greater challenges to peacebuilding. All countries should take this year's review of the peacebuilding architecture as an opportunity to work together to promote peacebuilding to play a better role. I wish to make four points.

First, a clear understanding of the peacebuilding mandate is a fundamental prerequisite. The peacebuilding architecture was originally established to help post-conflict countries address the root causes of conflict and achieve lasting peace and stability. Without development, there can be no sustaining peace. The PBC should give priority to development, strengthen coordination with relevant UN agencies in accordance with its mandate, enhance synergies in supporting the countries concerned to eradicate poverty and achieve universal education, so as to continuously strengthen their capacity for independent development. 

Second, national ownership is an important principle. It is the primary responsibility of the countries concerned to carry out their own peacebuilding efforts. The PBC should fully communicate with the countries concerned, focus on the most pressing needs, make targeted recommendations, and support the countries in taking the path of development that is in line with the national conditions. Country-specific strategies for conflict prevention should be formulated by the countries concerned on a voluntary basis. 

Third, mobilizing financing from peacebuilding is an important guarantee. China supports expanding the sources of peacebuilding financing and calls on international financial institutions to best align their financing with the peacebuilding needs of the countries concerned. Last year, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 78/257, which approves 50 million US dollars of assessed contributions per annum to fund the peacebuilding account. China looks forward to the Secretariat submitting a separate report to the GA on the utilization of those funds. 

Fourth, improving the working mechanism is vital. China supports the focus of the current review of the peacebuilding architecture on the effective implementation of the outcomes of the previous reviews. The PBC should adhere to the principles of consensus, improve its working methods, and enhance its efficiency on the basis of ensuring the continuity of its work. Field visits by the PBC help provide a better understanding of the country-specific situations and are worth promoting. 

President, 

China attaches great importance to peacebuilding, and has been actively helping post-conflict countries rebuild and resume development. We have provided support for many peacebuilding projects through the China-UN Peace and Development Fund. We will continue to participate constructively in the review of the peacebuilding architecture, so as to make greater contributions to the cause of peacebuilding. 

Thank you, President.