China urges joint global action to protect women's rights, interests at UN open debate

China on Tuesday called on the international community to step up protections for women at the UN Security Council open debate on women, peace and security.

Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, stressed the need to create a peaceful and stable environment for women at the open debate.

Fu said that the international community should effectively implement Security Council Resolution 1325 and work together to protect women's rights and advance global women's development.

Noting that more than 700 million women and girls lived in conflict-affected areas last year, Fu stressed that ending wars, restoring peace, and stabilizing situations are essential first steps to alleviating their suffering.

Recognizing women as active maintainers and builders of peace rather than mere beneficiaries, Fu called for greater efforts to strengthen women's leadership and meaningful participation in peace processes, and to support women in their roles in mediation, ceasefire monitoring, and political decision-making, particularly in developing nations.

Fu also called on the international community to invest more resources to support women's equal participation in economic and social activities and to effectively implement national strategies and plans to protect women's rights and interests.

Fu reaffirmed China's commitment to women's rights and protection, including an additional 10-million-U.S.-dollar donation to UN Women and a 100-million-U.S.-dollar allocation under the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund for collaborative projects.

The debate, which drew more than 100 speakers, follows warnings from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres regarding escalating threats to women's rights driven by worsening global conflicts and aid cuts.

China urges joint global action to protect women's rights, interests at UN open debate

The cost of the U.S. military campaign against Iran has risen to at least 47 billion U.S. dollars, more than 25 percent higher than the Defense Department's estimate in July, the Reuters news agency reported Tuesday.

The latest estimate, compiled by the U.S. Central Command on Oct 16 and provided by the Pentagon to Congress last week, includes more than 29 billion U.S. dollars to replace expended munitions such as air defense interceptors and bombs.

More than 6 billion U.S. dollars would be needed to replace military equipment ​and so-called "platform losses," which include the loss of aircraft including many drones lost during the war, the Reuters reported, citing the Pentagon estimate.

The Air Force has spent 7.6 billion U.S. dollars since the United States and Israel launched joint military attacks on Iran on Feb 28, followed by the Army at 2.1 billion U.S. dollars and the Navy at 1.5 billion U.S. dollars.

The estimate does not include the cost of damage to U.S. military bases in the Middle East.

U.S. military raises cost estimate of Iran war to 47 billion U.S. dollars