CIDCA spokesperson: 1st high-level conference of Forum on Global Action for Shared Development held successfully

The first high-level conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development was held successfully in Beijing from July 9 to 10, 2023, according to Xu Wei, spokesperson of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA). 

President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the event. Vice-President Han Zheng met with some meeting participants. Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, read out Xi’s letter and delivered a keynote speech. Luo Zhaohui, chairman of the CIDCA, delivered the welcoming and closing remarks and chaired the informal meeting of the forum's celebrity advisory group. 

Featuring a large scale, high level and broad representation, the forum attracted the onsite and online participation of over 800 representatives from 158 countries and international organizations. Those who came to China to attend the conference and deliver remarks included Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Manasseh Sogavare, former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Nikolai Snopkov, Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Saleumxay Kommasith, Presidential Adviser of the Republic of Nicaragua Laureano Ortega Murillo, and Cuban Minister of Industry Eloy Alvarez Martinez, who is also representative of the rotating presidency of the Group of 77. Those who addressed the event via video link included President of Tanzania Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa, Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua and President of the BRICS New Development Bank Dilma Rousseff. 

With a theme on "Global Development Initiative: Echo the Development Agenda and Call for Global Action", the forum held four parallel sessions: Global Public Goods at a Critical Juncture: Refocusing on Poverty Reduction and Food Security; Global Green Development in the Context of Carbon Neutrality; Capital Mobilization and Sustainable Financing Development; and Integrating Digital & AI Know-how to Facilitate Global Interconnectivity and Development. 

Conference participants from governments, international organizations, Chinese and foreign enterprises, financial institutions, social organizations, and think tanks, as well as industrial experts and media representatives discussed development opportunities, shared their experiences, and reached extensive consensus. 

First, as for consolidating consensuses on development, the participants unanimously agreed to persist with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and recognized that the Global Development Initiative (GDI) aligns with the urgent needs of developing countries. The participants all agreed that the SDGs and GDI should be advanced in coordination with countries' development strategies. They called for dialogue and consultation to resolve hotspot issues to foster a favorable environment for development. 

In terms of gathering all parties' resources, the participants agreed that the UN should strengthen its coordination and prioritize the needs of developing countries, especially the least developed countries and small island nations. Efforts are needed to continuously deepen South-South cooperation, promote North-South dialogue, leverage complementary advantages, uphold common but differentiated responsibilities, and foster a new type of North-South relations. All parties should fully mobilize development resources from multilateral financial institutions, private enterprises, and social organizations, and oppose politicizing development issues. 

Regarding tackling development challenges, participants acknowledged that the pursuit of cooperation and development among developing countries has been a trend of the times. Every country has its own development projects. However, the bottleneck for development is financing. Last year, China announced the establishment of the Global Development Project Pool and the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund. This conference agreed to establish a project pool and a funding pool, so as to mobilize resources from multiple sides, innovate financing models, expand the scale of financing, and address development difficulties. All parties agreed on the need to adhere to problem-oriented and action-based approaches, use the "two pools" and related funds effectively, and turn the China-proposed initiative into a true global action. 

The conference yielded significant outcomes. It agreed to issue the Beijing Statement and announced the establishment of the "two pools", namely, the project pool and the funding pool. The Guidelines on the Global Development Project Pool and the Guidelines on Global Development Project Pool Financing were published at the conference. In addition, the CIDCA signed three financing cooperation agreements with the China Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank of China, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), respectively. China also signed cooperation documents with the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and announced the establishment of the "Youth Leaders' Community for Global Development ". 

The conference was praised by all participants who agreed that under the chaotic international circumstances, building development consensus, tackling development challenges and accelerating development process is a common concern for all countries, and the GDI is one of the most important initiatives proposed by China. It reflected the Chinese leadership’s vision of leading global common development and provided a theoretical foundation and cooperation platform for developing countries to achieve long-term economic and social development. 

The participants agreed that the GDI has become a main driving force in achieving the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It seized the opportunity of South-South cooperation and global development cooperation in the post-pandemic era and reflected China's responsibility as a major country. China, as not only an advocate of the GDI, but also an active practitioner of development cooperation, is promoting the thorough implementation of the GDI with pragmatic measures. As an emerging economy with rapid development, China is dedicated to the development of other developing countries by sharing its experience and accelerating action, which is conducive to the rapid development of Global South countries and achieving common prosperity. 

Attendees from various countries agreed that the GDI has yielded a series of important early harvest outcomes thanks to the joint efforts of the global community, benefiting many developing countries. They look forward to deepening efforts in the joint implementation of the GDI, injecting continuous momentum in tackling development hurdles, and contributing to the realization of the SDGs and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.