UNITED NATIONS, July 11– In United Nations (UN) peacebuilding, the international community 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, a Chinese envoy said Friday.
“This will help the countries concerned lay a solid economic and social foundation for lasting peace and stability,” Sun Lei, China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, said in remarks at the UN General Assembly debate on “peacebuilding and sustaining peace.”
Sun noted that over the past two decades, the UN Peacebuilding Architecture has played a vital role in coordinating international efforts to support post-conflict countries in restoring peace and development, but peacebuilding remains an arduous task as the year 2025 saw a record number of armed conflicts since the end of World War II.
In this context, the international community 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, he said.
He said that it is imperative to observe the fundamental principle of national ownership, as the countries concerned bear the primary responsibility for their own peace and development, and called on the international community to uphold the core concept of promoting peace through development.
As many conflicts have their roots in poverty, injustice, and governance deficit, there can be no lasting peace without development, he said.
Sun also emphasized the importance of the UN Peacebuilding Commission to continue improving its mechanisms and working methods, and the need to build a diverse and efficient funding system, urging countries concerned to step up their contributions and calling for broadening peacebuilding financing channels.
“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,” he said, adding that China, together with the international community, stands ready to continue advancing the implementation of the outcomes of the Peacebuilding Architecture Review and make constructive contributions to international peacebuilding. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
