President,

China commends Germany for its work as Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) last year, supports Morocco in fulfilling its duties as Chair of the PBC this year, and thanks the Secretary-General for his reports on the Commission's annual work and the Peacebuilding Fund.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the UN Peacebuilding Architecture. Over the past two decades, the Peacebuilding Architecture has played a vital role in coordinating international efforts to support post-conflict countries in restoring peace and development.

At present, the international security landscape is complex and fraught with growing geopolitical tensions and multiple armed conflicts. The year 2025 saw a record number of armed conflicts since the end of the World War II. Peacebuilding remains an arduous task. In this context, we should seize the opportunity of the adoption of the 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review resolution to enable more targeted, pragmatic, and efficient UN peacebuilding to better serve the countries concerned and their people. I will make four points.

First, it is imperative to observe the fundamental principle of national ownership. The countries concerned bear the primary responsibility for their own peace and development. National sovereignty and ownership must be respected in all international peacebuilding efforts. The PBC should ensure full communication with the countries concerned, make recommendations based on their development priorities, and support them in pursuing a development path suited to their national conditions.

Second, we must uphold the core concept of promoting peace through development. Many conflicts have their roots in poverty, injustice, and governance deficit. Without development, there can be no lasting peace. In peacebuilding, we should put development first and prioritize resource allocation to livelihood-related areas such as poverty reduction, education, employment, healthcare, and public services so that people can appreciate the value of peace and see hope for their future. This will help the countries concerned lay a solid economic and social foundation for lasting peace and stability.

Third, the PBC needs to continue improving its mechanisms and working methods. The Commission should continue to work by consensus, fully play its bridging, convening, and advisory roles, and help foster synergy across the UN system, international organizations, and multilateral development institutions by leveraging their respective strengths. The Peacebuilding Week features a rich array of activities from which lessons can be learned to improve working methods and shape more targeted and effective delivery while ensuring continuity and predictability in the work.

Fourth, efforts are needed to build a diverse and efficient funding system. The Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) continues to support peacebuilding efforts in different countries. The funded projects are progressing well overall. Last year, the assessed contribution mechanism approved by the General Assembly was launched to shore up the Fund. We look forward to a separate report by the Secretariat to the General Assembly on the use of the assessed contributions. Voluntary contributions remain the main source of the PBF. We call on countries in a position to do so to step up their contributions. We also support broadening peacebuilding financing channels by working closely with international financial institutions (IFIs) and regional development banks to leverage their comparative advantages in terms of financing, technology, and experience, and align them with the peacebuilding needs of the countries concerned. More effective and efficient use of the funds, optimized resource allocation, and strengthened oversight and evaluation are needed to ensure that limited resources are used efficiently to benefit the people.

President,

China has always been a staunch supporter of and an active contributor to UN peacebuilding, and has consistently supported post-conflict countries in reconstruction, recovery, and development. Together with the international community, China stands ready to continue advancing the implementation of the outcomes of the Peacebuilding Architecture Review and make constructive contributions to international peacebuilding.

I thank you.