China calls for stronger international humanitarian action at UN

China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Sun Lei, called on the international community to unite and take stronger humanitarian action on Friday, warning that growing global crises are outpacing available resources.

During a general debate on humanitarian affairs, Sun said the world is facing an increasingly severe humanitarian situation, with armed conflicts causing widespread casualties and displacement, while climate change and natural disasters are worsening the hardships faced by vulnerable populations.

He said the widening gap between humanitarian needs and available resources requires an urgent and coordinated international response.

Sun urged all parties to uphold the fundamental humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence and comply with international humanitarian law. He stressed the importance of respecting the sovereignty of recipient countries, refraining from interfering in their internal affairs and avoiding the politicization or instrumentalization of humanitarian issues.

Sun also highlighted the growing global humanitarian funding shortfall, urging donor countries to honor their financial commitments and step up contributions. He called for humanitarian funding to be allocated fairly and expressed hope that the United Nations would distribute its limited resources in a balanced manner, with greater attention to underfunded and protracted humanitarian crises.

He said UN humanitarian agencies should strengthen coordination, improve efficiency while fulfilling their mandates and enhance communication with recipient countries to better respond to the needs of affected populations.

Sun added that underdevelopment remains one of the root causes of humanitarian crises and called on the international community to better coordinate humanitarian and development assistance to strengthen the long-term development capacity of countries facing humanitarian emergencies.

He said China, guided by the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, has provided support to developing countries in humanitarian relief and post-disaster recovery and reconstruction. China will continue to make stable contributions to UN humanitarian agencies and work with the international community to help countries and people in need, he said.