Development should continue to be priority on UN peacebuilding agenda: Chinese envoy

Development should continue to be a priority on the peacebuilding agenda of the United Nations, China's deputy permanent representative to the world body said Wednesday.

Sustainable development is the basis of lasting peace, and this is an underlying notion inherent to the UN peacebuilding architecture, Dai Bing told a General Assembly high-level meeting on peacebuilding financing.

Supporting the comprehensive development of the countries concerned is central to the peacebuilding process, around which peacebuilding activities should be planned, strategic objectives specified, and the resources of UN agencies mobilized, so as to create strong synergy, he said.

Noting the existing peacebuilding fund-supported projects do not pay enough attention to sustainable development, Dai called for efforts to channel more resources into areas where such urgent needs as poverty eradication, infrastructure, education, health, and vocational skills training exist for developing countries, he said.

Traditional donors should continue to shoulder the primary responsibility for peacebuilding financing, said Dai, stressing that developed countries have a moral obligation to help developing countries develop faster.

China has been actively supporting the nation-building and development efforts of developing countries through bilateral and multilateral channels, and has made multiple tranches of contributions to the UN peacebuilding fund, he said.