Beijing, September 2: With only four years left to achieve the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals, the state of global development is flashing a red light. Out of 139 evaluation indicators, only 36 percent are progressing smoothly, while nearly half are moving at a sluggish pace, and about 15 percent have fallen below baseline levels. One in ten people lives in extreme poverty, and 230 million face food shortages. The gap between the Global South and North continues to widen.
It can be said that the world is suffering from a chronic ailment. To address this issue, Chinese President Xi Jinping introduced a Global Development Initiative at the UN General Assembly in 2021, serving as a prescription for recovery. This initiative emphasizes prioritizing development, being people-centered, promoting universality and inclusiveness, fostering creativity, ensuring harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, and being action-oriented. Over the past five years, this initiative, rooted in Chinese wisdom, has made significant strides in enhancing global development.
A critical question in the current global governance landscape is that development has long been sidelined. Xi Jinping has repeatedly stated that development is the key to solving all problems. In his view, amid rising threats and differences, development should occupy a central place on the global agenda.
So far, over 130 countries and international organizations have participated in the Global Development Initiative. Approximately 100 countries have signed cooperation documents with the Chinese side, and 88 countries have joined the group of friends of the initiative. The active participation of various nations demonstrates the practical value of this prescription.
Through platforms like the China-United Nations Peace and Development Fund and the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, the initiative has mobilized $230 billion in capital. China has invested up to $40 billion in the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund. Under this initiative, more than 1,800 collaborative projects have been implemented, training over 200,000 people and benefiting the general populace in more than 120 countries.
Five years of practice have proven that the direction of the Global Development Initiative is indeed correct and has practical and robust effectiveness. If various countries continue on this path, the impact will grow even larger, ultimately allowing everyone to share in the benefits of global development.
(Source: China Media Group, Beijing)
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