Keynote Speech by CIDCA Chairman Luo Zhaohui at the Briefing on GDI

Keynote Speech by CIDCA Chairman Luo Zhaohui at the Briefing on GDI

(UN Headquarters, New York, April 19, 2023)

Your Excellency UN Resident Coordinator Siddharth Chatterjee,

ASG of UN DESA Ms. Maria-Francesca Spatolisano,

Ambassador Zhang Jun,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon.

Thank you all for attending today's function. I appreciate the UN Office in China and China's Permanent Mission in New York kindly co-hosting the event with my Agency.

Talking about the latest progress of Global Development Initiative (GDI), the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) must be mentioned first.

We usually say life is hard and how to make it good? Life is good and how to make it better? SDGs is the way to make our life, country and world better.

In 2015, the SDGs came out, which is the most important global development agenda and consensus, covering 17 major areas.

As a state member of UN, China actively fulfills its obligations, and attaches great importance to reaching SDGs.

We have integrated the SDGs into our national development strategies, the 14th Five-Year Plan, established an inter-agency coordination mechanism, keeping close interaction with the UN and its branches in China. We issued position papers and progress reports on SDGs, actively participated in the United Nations High-level Political Forum (HLPF) and related conference. 

I am proud to say, China has made the fastest progress among developing countries on SDGs. For example, we achieved the poverty reduction goal of the SDGs 10 years earlier. Last year, China's GDP totalled around 18 trillion US dollars, with per capita GDP over 12 thousand US dollars.

China's development progress accumulated valuable experiences in implementing SDGs, provided world a feasible and replicable practice.

Friends,

Today's international environment has become more complicated. What we are facing, are increasing geopolitical conflicts, intensified major power competition, slowdown in North-South cooperation, and expanding development gap. According to the UN statistics, more than 800 million people still go hungry, 350 million people need humanitarian assistance. Development agenda is drifting away, and the momentum of SDGs is fading away.

We should cherish the global consensus on SDGs, take the SDGs back into the center of international agenda, act jointly for common development.  

For this purpose, President Xi Jinping proposed the GDI two years ago. It's the latest guideline and action plan for consolidating global consensus and accelerating global implementation on SDGs. To feature SDGs' pertinence, stage-specific way and urgency, the GDI identifies 8 priority areas from SDGs' 17 major areas, including poverty reduction, food security, pandemic response, financing for development, climate change and green development, digital economy. So far, over 100 countries and the UN as well as international and regional organizations support GDI.

Last year, President Xi Jinping announced 32 follow-up measures on GDI. We promote the implementation of GDI and SDGs in a coordinated way.

CIDCA is in charge of China's foreign aid and international development cooperation, including coordinating GDI in all aspects. We have achieved more than 200 early harvest projects benefiting over 60 developing countries through bilateral and multilateral channels with grants, concessional loans and the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund.

We have developed a GDI project and fund pool. On GDI and SDGs, we lack no good project, but fund. Project-selecting and fund-supporting are crucial concerns of all parties.

Recently, we are focusing on developing relevant documents, answering concerns, such as project selection standards, applicants and application paths, as well as financing participants, participation methods. Today we are going to release the Non-paper of the GDI Project Pool and the Financing Non-paper of the GDI Project Pool.

We established the Global Development Promotion Center and the Global Development Promotion Center Network, as well as the "Group of Friends of the GDI" in New York, signed bilateral GDI cooperation documents with many countries including Pakistan and Tanzania. Just two days ago in New York, I signed a MoU on GDI with Mongolia Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Khurelbaatar Chimed. We established cooperative relationships with some international and regional organizations, financial institutions, NGOs.

To promote the GDI, we have organized many activities in cooperation with various parties, including the Anti-corruption Forum on Global Development Cooperation, the Conference on China-South Asia Development Cooperation, the China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development and Cooperation, the International Forum on Hybrid Rice Assistance and Global Food Security, the International Forum on the 50th Anniversary of the Discovery of Artemisinin. Today we will also release reports on China's Experience and Contribution concerning International Development and Cooperation, hold a picture show on China's development assistance.

Friends,

China's actions on GDI and SDGs are under the guidance of President Xi Jinping's important visions, such as the Community with a Shared Future for Mankind, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). We do believe that, mankind lives in the global village. All countries' development is the only real development.

By now, we have signed BRI cooperation documents with more than 170 countries and international organizations. More than 3,000 cooperation projects have been adopted.

We initiated the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the BRICS New Development Bank. We established the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund and the China-UN Peace and Development Fund. We will continue to provide grants, interest-free and concessional loans.

China is actively taking part in bilateral and multilateral free trade arrangements, such as the RCEP, CPTPP which we are applying to join. We have become a major trading partner for more than 140 countries and regions. China's foreign investment keeps a stable development. China's trade and investment abroad have greatly promoted relevant countries' economic and social development.

China is implementing the G20's Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) in all aspects, with the largest amount of suspended debt among all G20 members. Through bilateral channels, China is helping developing countries ease their debt burden. No country is beset with a debt trap because of China.

Friends,

For SDGs and GDI, China is acting, but not enough. The globe must act together.

First, consolidating consensus on SDGs and GDI, concentrating development efforts. This year features mid-term evaluation of SDGs. We must uphold true multilateralism. Making good use of the SDGs’ Summit, Third South Summit, First Forum on Global Action for Shared Development in China this year, we should reset the development topic to the center of international agenda. Particular attention should be paid to resolving insecurity issues, creating a favourable environment for SDGs and GDI.

Second, emphasizing UN's leadership, strengthening comprehensive coordination. The UN should play a crucial and leading role in reaching SDGs and GDI. We should push forward global development governance, strengthen policies coordination, commit to development as a priority, comprehensively link SDGs with countries' own development strategies, focus on consistent and joint action, refuse empty talk.

Third, promoting North-South cooperation, working on same page. We should consolidate the international development cooperation setup, with North-South cooperation as the main channel and South-South cooperation as a beneficial supplement. We shall perform "common but differentiated responsibilities", expand trilateral and multilateral cooperation, seek common ground while setting aside differences in development concepts, rules, standards and other aspects, for fostering a new North-South relationship. 

Fourth, China is making consistent efforts to promote common development. The 20th National Congress of the CPC has announced that China is prepared to invest more resources in global development cooperation. It is committed to narrowing the North-South gap, supporting and assisting other developing countries to accelerate development. We will continue our actions, make more contributions to achieving SDGs and GDI, with no country and people behind.

Thank you all!