UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday urged the international community to help the Sahel countries "rise up to development challenges" by extending support to the conflict-torn region's economic and social development.
"It is essential to attach importance to economic and social development, and tackle the root causes of conflicts," said Ma Zhaoxu, China's permanent representative to the UN, in a Security Council meeting.
As the Sahel region faces many problems such as poverty, unemployment and environmental degradation, the international community should help countries in the region "rise up to development challenges and tap into their own potential," said the Chinese envoy.
It is essential to support the investment plans of priority areas formulated by countries in the region, as well as the Secretary General in implementing the UN comprehensive strategy for the Sahel and its support plan, and to assist Sahel in achieving sustainable development, he added.
According to Ma, China has actively implemented the China-Africa peace and security initiative announced in the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
"Out of the assistance package to the African Union (AU), a total of 300 million yuan (44 million U.S. dollars) have been dispersed in order to support the counter-terrorism actions in the Sahel and the development of the joint force," he said.
"On top of that, another 1.5 million U.S. dollars worth of cash assistance will be rendered to Secretariat of the Group of Five for the Sahel," he added.
Concluding his statement, the Chinese envoy pledged that China is ready to work with the international community to contribute its part to enabling the Sahel and the African continent to attain stability and prosperity.
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