Chinese envoy calls for int'l support to improve Somalia's security, humanitarian situation

UNITED NATIONS, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday called for international support to improve Somalia's security and humanitarian situation as the country has concluded presidential and legislative elections.

Last week, the Somali presidential election was successfully concluded, turning a new page in its national governance. The current outcome is hard-won. China looks forward to the forming of a new Somali government and sincerely hopes that Somalia can turn this opportunity into speeding up state-building and achieve long-term stability and security at an early date, said Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

Peace and stability in Somalia still faces severe challenges. The key to handing over security responsibilities to Somalia is to implement the Somalia transition plan, speed up its force generation and integration, and effectively improve its own security capabilities, he told a Security Council meeting on Somalia.

China supports the new Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) in strengthening coordination and communication during the security transition period. China calls on the major contributors to continue to provide sustainable and predictable financial support to the security forces of Somalia and ATMIS to ensure the effective implementation of relevant security programs, he said.

The humanitarian situation in Somalia is worrying. Unprecedented drought has devastated the lives of millions of people, bringing to the fore the issue of food security in particular. The UN humanitarian response plan is chronically underfunded, hampering the effective delivery of emergency humanitarian operations, he said.

"China calls on the international community not to neglect the humanitarian and development issue in Somalia and relevant inputs in the area, and to continue to help Somalia respond to the risk of famine, and carry out more development cooperation projects," Dai said.

China is committed to assisting Somalia in its economic and social development through pragmatic cooperation. Recently, China has delivered new safety and health assistance to Somalia, and is planning to provide Somalia with a new batch of emergency food aid, the envoy said.