China Urges Strong Humanitarian Action at UN ECOSOC Session

China has called on the international community to take strong humanitarian action, warning that the gap between humanitarian needs and available resources is becoming increasingly critical. The appeal was delivered by Ambassador Sun Lei, China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) 2026 Humanitarian Affairs Segment in New York on June 19.

“The current global humanitarian situation is severe, with armed conflicts causing large numbers of casualties and displacement, while climate change and natural disasters exacerbate the survival crisis of affected populations,” Sun told the General Debate, according to Xinhua News.

A Humanitarian System Under Strain

Sun’s address comes at a moment of acute crisis for the global humanitarian system. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in his video message to the same session on June 17, warned that more than 135 million people now require urgent assistance worldwide. He noted that global humanitarian funding collapsed by 40 percent between 2024 and 2025, as major Western donors including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and France substantially cut their aid budgets.

“The decimation of aid budgets is forcing impossible trade-offs,” Guterres said, as reported by the United Nations. The UN halved its 2026 humanitarian funding appeal from an initial $47 billion to approximately $29 billion, with only about $12 billion actually received.

China’s Four-Point Proposal

In his address, Sun outlined a comprehensive four-point proposal for strengthening the international humanitarian response. First, he called on all nations to uphold fundamental humanitarian principles — humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence — in accordance with the UN Charter and General Assembly Resolution 46/182.

“We must respect the sovereignty of recipient countries, non-interference in internal affairs, and avoid politicizing or instrumentalizing humanitarian issues,” Sun said, according to the official statement published by the Permanent Mission of China to the UN. “Humanitarian assistance should not come with conditions attached.”

Second, Sun urged donor countries to fulfill their funding commitments and allocate resources equitably, calling on the UN to prioritize underfunded and long-term humanitarian crises. Third, he advocated for constructive humanitarian reform, encouraging UN agencies to use the UN80 reform initiative and the “Humanitarian Reset” as opportunities to strengthen coordination, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.

Fourth, and perhaps most significantly, Sun emphasized the need to address the root causes of humanitarian crises. “Underdevelopment is a fundamental cause of humanitarian crises,” he stated. “We need ‘blood transfusion,’ but more importantly ‘blood creation’ — capacity building — to improve the development capacity of countries facing humanitarian crises.”

China’s Growing Humanitarian Role

Sun highlighted China’s concrete contributions to global humanitarian efforts, noting that President Xi Jinping announced $100 million in aid to Palestine in December 2025, with multiple batches already delivered and welcomed by the Palestinian government and people. In 2026 alone, China has provided humanitarian assistance to Lebanon, Cuba, Iran, Uganda, the Central African Republic, and Burkina Faso. China has also sent emergency aid and medical expert teams to the Democratic Republic of Congo in response to the Ebola outbreak and provided assistance to the African Union Commission for epidemic prevention cooperation.

“China upholds the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, providing support to developing countries in humanitarian relief, disaster recovery and reconstruction,” Sun said. He confirmed that China will continue to provide stable donations to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

Implications and Outlook

China’s statement positions it as a responsible major power and reliable supporter of the UN humanitarian system at a time when traditional Western donors are retreating. By supporting the statement of the Group of 77 and China, Beijing reinforces its leadership role among developing nations while maintaining its longstanding principles of non-interference and respect for sovereignty.

The contrast with Western approaches was notable: while the European Union, the largest humanitarian donor globally, emphasized accountability for international humanitarian law violations and protection of civilians in its own statement to the ECOSOC session, China focused on non-politicization and unconditional assistance.

As the ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment concludes with outcome documents, the international community will be watching closely to see whether China increases its humanitarian footprint to fill the gap left by Western donor cuts. The coming months will test whether Beijing’s rhetoric translates into significantly expanded financial commitments — and whether its model of non-conditional, sovereignty-respecting aid gains traction in a funding-starved humanitarian system.