UN applauds China plan to achieve SDGs

Increasing voice of developing nations mooted for addressing global problems

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Tuesday emphasized that no nation or individual should be excluded from progress, a principle that aligns with the core vision of the Global Development Initiative and the objectives advocated by the United Nations.

China looks forward to collaborating with all parties to promote the stable and long-term development of the GDI, fostering strong synergy for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, and the establishment of a global development community, Han said at the high-level meeting on the GDI Cooperation Outcomes.

The high-level meeting was held on Tuesday on the sidelines of the ongoing 78th session of the UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York.

The GDI, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2021, "aims to gather international consensus on promoting development, cultivate new momentum for global development, and promote common progress for all countries in the world", Han said.

Over the past two years, over 70 countries have joined the "Group of Friends of the GDI", and nearly 200 practical cooperation projects are now included in the GDI. China has announced a $10-billion special fund to support the implementation of the GDI, according to Han.

Han noted that currently, about 90 percent of the SDGs are derailed and progress on nearly one-third of the SDGs has either remained unchanged or even fallen below 2015 levels.

To address global challenges in achieving the SDGs by 2030, Han said China has suggested the practice of true multilateralism, and increasing the representation and voice of developing countries in global governance.

China suggested strengthening the alignment of development strategies of all parties, actively promoting global, regional, subregional and national development cooperation and achieving complementary advantages, Han said.

"The GDI's embrace of people-centered sustainable development in order to leave no one behind represents an important accelerator in the global architecture for financing sustainable development," Dennis Francis, the new president of the 78th session of the UNGA, said in a video message to the meeting.

"This initiative is a well-recognized and timely resource to accelerate the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," he said.

Amina Mohammed, UN deputy secretary-general, attended the meeting and said the GDI offers "timely support for accelerating the SDG agenda, particularly in poverty alleviation, food security, industrialization, climate change, and green development, among other areas".

"Collaboration with the GDI on the ground is one key to achieving our common objectives for people and the planet," she added.

Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, Uganda's Vice-President Jessica Alupo, Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen Hassen, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk, Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Saleumxay Kommasith, as well as over 20 foreign ministers and other ministerial officials attended the meeting and delivered speeches.

Over 300 representatives from the Group of Friends of the GDI, member states of the Group of 77, and international organizations attended the meeting.

Climate envoy meet

Han on Tuesday also met John Kerry, the US special presidential envoy for climate, in New York on the sidelines of the UNGA.

China has long been a staunch actor in addressing climate change, said Han.

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to the construction of ecological civilization, continues to promote the green and low-carbon transformation of energy, and has completed the 2020 climate action goals ahead of schedule," he said, adding that China will continue to "promote the realization of the 'dual carbon' commitment and fully implement the goals of the Paris Agreement".

Kerry said he appreciated China's achievements in addressing climate change and expressed that the United States is willing to carry out dialogue and cooperation with China on climate change and other fields.