Development holds key to unraveling global security crisis: Chinese envoy

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's permanent representative to the United Nations has urged the international community to revitalize global development, find the key to unraveling global security crisis and achieving lasting peace by way of development.

Zhang Jun made the appeal while addressing a meeting on the theme of "Transitioning from Protracted Conflict and Fragility into Peace Through Sustainable Development" held at the UN headquarters in New York on Thursday.

"We must put development at the center of global macro-policy coordination, and pay close attention to the spillover effect of certain major economies' monetary and trade policies on developing countries," Zhang said.

Developed countries should take more tangible actions to fulfill their development assistance commitments. International financial institutions, multilateral development banks and commercial creditors should actively participate in international development cooperation and debt relief, he added.

The envoy underscored the need to examine security issues through "the lens of development," saying that "development must not be overlooked at any stage of peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding."

Citing good practices that help UN agencies better manage security and development in an integrated manner, Zhang suggested that the UN Security Council take into full account the interface between peacekeeping and peacebuilding when writing missions' mandate, and at the same time ensure the interface is in line with the nature and targets of the missions.

He stressed that whether it is security cooperation, development assistance, or trade and investment cooperation, the international community should not impose external solutions or attach any political strings for the host countries.

It is imperative to fully respect the views of the countries concerned, focus on their needs, align assistance with their development strategy, and help them improve their own "blood-making" capacity, Zhang noted.

Poverty reduction, employment, infrastructure, food and energy security are prominent issues for many countries in conflict and fragility. The Security Council and other UN agencies, as well as international financial and development agencies, should pay close attention to these issues and provide more targeted support to those countries, he said.

"China has always been a staunch supporter, advocate, and practitioner of the concept of development for peace," Zhang said. "The Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative put forward by China aim to help developing countries overcome the difficulties in achieving common development, and realize lasting peace through sustainable development."