Achieving peace the best protection for women: Chinese envoy

Achieving peace is the best protection for women, who are among vulnerable groups that bear the brunt of armed conflicts, a Chinese envoy said here Wednesday.

Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, made the remarks during a UN Security Council open debate on women, peace and security.

"Crisis response and humanitarian assistance are not the end of efforts. The international community must keep to the fundamental direction of political settlement, work to eliminate the root causes of conflict, and step up efforts to promote peace," he said.

Citing the plight of women and children in the Ukraine conflict, Dai said that China encourage the EU to play its due role and create conditions for direct talks of relevant parties and for the restoration of peace.

"We support the UN in coordinating actions with the EU and countries in the region to ensure the safety of life and property of Ukrainian citizens, including women and children, to meet their basic humanitarian needs, and to effectively crack down on the human trafficking, sexual exploitation and abuse of women and children refugees," he said.

Dai stressed that the advancement of women's cause is inseparable from a stable political environment.

Since 2021, many countries from Asia to Africa have experienced major changes in their political situation, some as part of the chain reaction triggered by the hasty withdrawal of foreign troops, while others are a result of the outbreak of conflicts caused by ill-fitting foreign governance models.

"The international community, while worrying about the erosion of women's rights and interests and the retrogression in gender equality, among others, must see all the more clearly that supporting the countries concerned in exploring a development path that suits their national conditions is the only way for them to maintain political stability," said Dai.

"It is imperative to respect the sovereignty and ownership of all countries, and oppose external interference and imposition of external solutions," he said, adding that it is necessary to encourage regional solutions that are based on regional realities, support regional organizations in fully leveraging their roles.

Noting the mounting challenges faced by women, Dai also highlighted the importance of development.

"The United Nations and regional organizations should give priority to development, make great efforts to address women's poverty, under-development and other issues, help more women get rid of poverty and hunger, achieve economic autonomy, and create favorable conditions for their effective participation in the peace process," he said.