President,

I would like to congratulate Pakistan on its assumption of the Presidency of the Council for this month. The Chinese delegation will extend its full and complete cooperation to you and your colleagues. I also commend Guyana for its work as President last month. I thank Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča and Executive Director Ghada Fathi Waly for their briefings, and welcome the Foreign Minister of the Dominican Republic and the representatives of Haiti, Kenya, and Barbados.

The assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse four years ago unleashed a new cycle of chaos and suffering in Haiti. Over the past four years, the political stalemate in Haiti, governance mired in a vacuum, rising gang violence, increasingly dire humanitarian situation, and the convergence of multiple crises have subjected the Haitian people to immeasurable suffering. We support the Haitian authorities, regional countries, and the international community in focusing on the root causes of the problems, drawing lessons learned, and making joint efforts to resolve the complex and serious challenges facing Haiti. I would like to highlight the following points. 

First, advancing the political process lays an important foundation. A legitimate, effective, and responsible government is the key to getting Haiti out of the chaos, and is also a prerequisite for external support to be effective. Multiple reports of the Secretary-General have pointed out that the fragility of the political structure and the lack of state authority have not only seriously undermined the trust and confidence of the Haitian people in the authorities, but also provided an opportunity for gang violence. To address the current crisis, Haitian parties and factions must strengthen their unity, effectively advance a Haitian-led and -owned political process, prioritize the interests of the country and its people, build the broadest possible consensus on maintaining security and promoting development, and formulate a comprehensive and effective long-term strategy. We reiterate our call on all Haitian parties to take responsible actions in this regard. We call on BINUH, CARICOM, among others, to continue to assist in promoting the political process in Haiti. 

Second, improving the security situation is an urgent task. China expresses deep concerns over the rampant violence in Haiti and feels deeply saddened by the great suffering of the people. Over the past year, Kenya has led the MSS mission, together with some CARICOM countries, in helping to improve the security situation in Haiti. We highly appreciate this, and call on the proponent and donor of the MSS, especially the major country that bears the primary responsibility for the situation in Haiti, to fulfill its commitment, play its role, and live up to the expectations of the Haitian people. As to how to improve the security situation in Haiti as soon as possible, including how to respond to the relevant recommendations of the Secretary-General, we are ready to maintain frank communication with all parties, explore feasible options, and seek the widest possible consensus. 

Third, strengthening sanctions implementation is the top priority. We support a greater role of the Council’s sanctions regime, and agree to list more gang leaders. Meanwhile, the reports of UNODC and the panel of experts of the sanctions committee indicate that a large number of weapons and ammunition continue to flow into Haiti from the US. The effective implementation of the Council’s arms embargo and the cut off of gangs’ sources of arms and ammunition are urgent. Since the beginning of this year, the China-UN Peace and Development Fund has funded a UNODC project on arms embargo in Haiti, supporting the Haitian authorities to strengthen weapon registration and management and helping regional countries strengthen information exchange and capacity building. We are ready to continue to work with UNODC, the sanctions committee, and other parties to advance the early implementation of sanctions measures, so as to effectively deter gangs. 

Fourth, improving people’s livelihood is the fundamental solution. As a result of Haiti’s economic downturn and soaring prices, half of the population suffers from food insecurity, a large number of people have been displaced, and women, children, and other vulnerable groups are bearing the brunt. We support the efforts of UN agencies and international and regional partners to scale up assistance to Haiti and help the Haitian people overcome the difficulties. The Secretary-General’s report notes that due to poverty, hunger, and the collapse of the educational and social service system, a large number of children, as young as eight years old, have been forced to join the gangs. The international community must pay attention to the root causes of Haiti’s chronic instability and gang violence, strive to transform foreign aid into Haiti’s capacity for independent development, and take measures to break the vicious cycle of poverty and violence. 

President, 

Regional countries are geographically close to Haiti with shared interests. For some time now, CARICOM and the OAS have prioritized the issue of Haiti on their agenda, and have taken active actions in political mediation and resource coordination. China appreciates the solidarity of regional countries and their increased support for Haiti. At the same time, we call on the UN and the international community to continue to help Haiti in a responsible, constructive, and sustainable manner. We highly appreciate SRSG Salvador’s leadership of BINUH in Haiti over the past two years and more. We are ready to continue to support BINUH in effectively delivering its mandate, and we support the role of the UN country team. 

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that China is ready to continue to work with the international community to play a constructive role in helping the Haitian people emerge from the plight at an early date and to realize peace, stability, and development. 

I thank you, President.