President,

I welcome you to New York to preside over this meeting, and thank Special Representative Roza Otunbayeva and Ms. Hanifa Girowal for their briefings.

Currently, the situation in Afghanistan is generally stable. There have been some improvements in economy and people's livelihood and gradual increase in its exchanges with the world. Meanwhile, in areas such as humanitarian, development, human rights, and counter-terrorism, multiple challenges persist. The international community should take an objective, impartial, rational, and pragmatic approach to the Afghan issue, strengthen unity, and build consensus to help the country get on the right track without delay and integrate it into the international community. I will make a few points. 

First, we should maintain engagement and dialogue with Afghanistan and enhance our understanding of and mutual trust with the country. In recent years, regional mechanisms, including the foreign ministers' meeting of Afghanistan's neighbors, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Moscow Format consultations, the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan trilateral foreign ministers' dialogue, together with the UN-led Doha process, have played a positive role in enhancing communication and exchanges between the international community and Afghanistan. However, due to various factors past and present, mutual integration between the international community and Afghanistan could only proceed step by step, and long-term commitment is required to deliver success. In this regard, active interactions and continuous engagements between the two sides are indispensable. It is of concern to us that recently at the 1988 Committee, one country, on multiple occasions, repeatedly cited the detention of its citizens by the Afghan government as the reason for blocking travel ban exemption requests for senior Afghan government officials, seriously disrupting Afghanistan's normal exchanges with the international community. Such a practice abused the sanctions tool of the Security Council to serve its national interests, provoking discontent among many members of the Security Council. We urge this country to change this practice immediately, and once again, call on the 1988 Committee to reinstate comprehensive travel ban exemption arrangements without delay. 

Second, we should scale up assistance and help Afghanistan tide over the difficulties. It was noted in the Secretary-General’s report that 23 million Afghans need humanitarian assistance, and 9.5 million face severe food shortages. Significant funding cuts by major donors mean that only less than 30% of the funding needs this year are met. The recent earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan exacerbated this humanitarian crisis. We commend UNAMA, OCHA, and other agencies and many countries for extending a helping hand to Afghanistan. China has recently announced the donation of earthquake emergency humanitarian supplies of 50 million RMB to Afghanistan. Given these huge humanitarian needs, we call on traditional donors to scale up their funding support and stop politicizing humanitarian relief. We call on a certain country to assume its historical responsibilities, resume aid to Afghans, stop unilateral sanctions, and provide necessary support for humanitarian actions. 

Third, we should strengthen positive guidance and promote the protection of the rights and interests of the Afghan people. Women account for nearly half of the Afghan population. Securing their equal access to education, health care, employment, and participation in public affairs is imperative for Afghanistan's peace, stability, development, and prosperity and meeting the expectations of the international community. We call on the Afghan government to exercise moderate and inclusive governance and put in place effective measures to safeguard the basic rights and interests of all Afghans, including women. UNAMA has recently issued a statement expressing concerns over the Afghan government's prevention of Afghan women from working for the United Nations. We call on the Afghan government to strengthen friendly consultations with UNAMA to properly resolve such issues and ensure the normal functioning of UN agencies and UN humanitarian relief work in Afghanistan. 

Fourth, we should remove any obstacles to development and support Afghanistan's indigenous development. The Afghan government has recently launched the national development strategy, actively promoting economic reconstruction and integration into regional cooperation. Meanwhile, the Secretary-General's report identifies economic isolation and limited access to financing, among others, as significant constraints on Afghan economic growth. We call on the relevant countries to unconditionally return the Afghan Central Bank's overseas assets and support the reconstruction of its financial system, so that it can unlock its development potential. We support Afghanistan in further strengthening connectivity and economic and trade cooperation with regional countries. We expect the two working groups of the Doha process to play a greater role in helping Afghanistan boost its economic dynamism, promote alternative cultivation, treat and rehabilitate drug users, sustain development momentum, and build on counter-narcotics achievements. 

Fifth, we should strengthen counter-terrorism efforts and maintain security in Afghanistan and the region. The Secretary-General's report states that the terrorist threats in Afghanistan remain prominent. ISIL-K, the ETIM, and the TTP, among other terrorist groups, remain active in Afghanistan and have conspired with foreign terrorist elements to plan and launch attacks, undermining Afghan and regional security. We call on the Afghan government to enhance counter-terrorism efforts and coordination with regional countries and prevent terrorist organizations from exploiting Afghan territory to undermine the security of other countries. When it comes to counter-terrorism, we must stand firmly against double standards and selectivity, and must maintain international cooperation in combating terrorism. 

President, 

Since assuming office, SRSG Otunbayeva has led UNAMA in pushing for engagement and dialogue between the Afghan government and the international community, responding to humanitarian and development crises, and protecting the basic rights and interests of the Afghan people. We highly commend her efforts and contributions, and wish her all the best in the future. As a friendly neighbor of Afghanistan, China stands ready to continue to work with all parties, including UNAMA, to promote peace, development, and lasting security and stability in Afghanistan. 

Thank you, President.