New York, United States - December 12, 2024 A Chinese envoy on Thursday called on relevant countries to support the rebuilding of Afghanistan's financial system and urged the Afghan interim government to eradicate terrorism, during a United Nations Security Council meeting on Afghanistan. Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, pointed out that Afghanistan is at a critical stage of peaceful reconstruction while addressing the meeting that focused on severe restrictions on women's rights and insufficient humanitarian funding in the central Asian country. The diplomat said the security situation in Afghanistan remains stable, the economy and people's livelihoods have gradually improved, and regional cooperation has become deeper and more solid. However, Afghanistan still faces acute problems such as humanitarian development, terrorist threats and erosion of women's rights, Fu noted. The Afghan people are facing complex challenges, including food shortages, displacement, natural disasters, and contamination of explosive ordnance. Nearly 24 million people need humanitarian aid, yet this year's humanitarian funding rate remains below 50 percent, resulting in the suspension of many aid projects such as food distribution and de-mining efforts, according to the Chinese envoy. As a friend and neighbor of Afghanistan, China is willing to continue making greater contributions to promoting lasting stability and prosperity in Afghanistan, said the envoy. In addition, Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefed the meeting that Afghanistan's economy is extremely fragile, with nearly half of the population living in poverty, making it the world's second-largest country facing a humanitarian crisis. In 2024, the UN and humanitarian partners aided nearly 18 million people in Afghanistan. But humanitarian funding remains insufficient in the country, resulting in the closure of several hundred medical centers this year, leaving 3 million Afghan people without access to medical services. There is hope for the Security Council to increase financial support, as 2.4 billion U.S. dollars will be needed in 2025, Fletcher said. Shotlist: UN Headquarters, New York City - Dec 12, 2024: 1. Various of representatives at United Nations Security Council meeting; 2. Various of Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to UN, speaking, representatives; 3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to UN (partially overlaid with shots 4-5): "Humanitarian aid concerns the vital interests of all Afghan people and should never be used as a bargaining chip for political pressure. We call on traditional donors to increase their investments and specifically urge the United States to unconditionally unfreeze and fully return overseas assets belonging to the Afghan people. Due to the impact of unilateral sanctions, the Afghan banking system has long been isolated from the international financial system. Relevant countries should promptly and unconditionally lift illegal unilateral sanctions and support the rebuilding of Afghanistan's financial system."; [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] FILE: Afghanistan - Aug 2024 4. Buildings, traffic; 5. Vendors, consumers at market; [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] FILE: Kabul, Afghanistan - 2024 6. Various of traffic, pedestrians; UN Headquarters, New York City - Dec 12, 2024 7. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to UN: "The terrorist forces in Afghanistan, such as ISIS, al-Qaeda, and the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, continue to pose a major threat to international peace and security. We hope that the Afghan interim government will take anti-terrorism measures to eradicate the breeding ground for terrorism and prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a hub for terrorism. The international community should maintain 'zero tolerance' towards terrorism, rejecting any 'double standards' or 'selective counter-terrorism' approaches."; FILE: Kabul, Afghanistan - Aug 27, 2024 8. Various of traffic; 9. Pedestrians; FILE: Kabul, Afghanistan - 2024 10. Cityscape. [Restriction - For news purpose only/No archive/Not for other production use, No access Chinese mainland]