Chinese envoy urges int'l community to help DRC on security, humanitarian development

Wu Haitao (R, front), China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), at the UN headquarters in New York, July 24, 2019. Wu Haitao on Wednesday called on the international community to increase its input to help the Democratic Republic of the Congo to overcome its challenges in security, humanitarian development, and others fields. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, July 24 -- A Chinese envoy on Wednesday called on the international community to increase its input to help the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to overcome its challenges in security, humanitarian development, and others fields.

Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council meeting on the situation concerning the DRC that the situation in the DRC is stable on the whole at present, with the national and provisional legislative and executive institutions installed and its economy enjoying steady development.

These positive developments demonstrate that the DRC government has the ability and will to maintain the stability of the country and the effectiveness of the work of MONUSCO -- the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, he said.

Meanwhile, the DRC is still facing challenges, said Wu, adding that the security situation in the eastern region is still grim. It is necessary to assist the DRC with security capacity building.

Peace and stability are the foundation and guarantee for the DRC to advance its political process and realize economic and social development, he said.

The government of the DRC bears the primary responsibility for safeguarding its national security and stability, said Wu, adding that the international community should respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the DRC and fully respect the leadership of the government in handling its own affairs.

All international partners should help to push the armed groups in the country to give up military options and find solutions through dialogue and consultation, he said.

Wu also warned the Ebola outbreak in DRC has worsened, saying it has a great risk of spillover.

There is a need to help the DRC government bring the Ebola outbreak under control as soon as possible, Wu said, adding economic support should continue to be provided to the DRC government.

"International partners should focus on increasing investment in education, health care, infrastructure, and other sectors to help the DRC to increase employment, to improve people's livelihood, to restore its economic development, and to tackle the root causes of the conflict," the Chinese envoy said.

On July 17, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Ebola in the DRC as a public health emergency of international concern.

Speaking at the same meeting Wednesday morning, Leila Zerrougui, the UN secretary-general's special representative for the DRC, said that the Ebola epidemic has now claimed the lives of more than 1,700 people.

Talking about the UN mission in the DRC, the Chinese envoy said that "sanctions are not an end, but a means to an end".

The UN Security Council on June 26 extended the sanctions regime on the DRC until July 1, 2020. The resolutions impose an arms embargo on armed groups in the DRC, a travel ban on individuals and asset freeze on individuals and entities designated by the Sanctions Committee.

"We hope that the panel of experts will continue to work strictly within the parameters of its mandate supporting the efforts of the DRC government to strengthen weapons management and eliminate the threat of armed groups," Wu said.

China hopes that MONUSCO will continue to increase coordination and communication with the DRC government and actively fulfill its mandated functions, said the envoy, adding that the international community must continue to lend active support to the work of the mission.

According to Wu, since last year, China has provided emergency humanitarian assistance for the prevention and control of Ebola in the DRC through bilateral and multilateral channels, and sent expert groups to the DRC and Uganda to support their anti-epidemic efforts.

China will continue to provide all necessary assistance to the best of ability to Ebola prevention and control in light of the Ebola dynamics on the ground and the needs of the African countries, he said.