Shared development: a strategic response to global challenges

By He Yin, People’s Daily
On September 23 local time, China hosted the High-Level Meeting on Global Development Initiative (GDI) at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, announcing new steps to advance the initiative with the international community. A statement was issued at the meeting, reaffirming the consensus to prioritize development and deepen cooperation under the initiative.
At a time when global development faces challenges, China is committed to building consensus and mobilizing international cooperation to drive the GDI forward, injecting strong impetus into addressing development difficulties worldwide and accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Development remains an eternal theme of human society and the key to people’s well-being. The UN Charter enshrined development as one of the organization’s founding purposes.
In September 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative at the general debate of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly. With the broadest interests of humanity in mind, he called on all parties to stay committed to development as a priority, to a people-centered approach, to benefits for all, to innovation-driven development, to harmony between man and nature, and to results-oriented actions.
Since its launch, the GDI has provided a practical framework for renewing global cooperation on common development. Against the backdrop of rising unilateralism and protectionism, which have severely undermined international development cooperation, the world economy has lost momentum, and the development divide between the North and the South has continued to widen.
In this increasingly challenging environment, the GDI has gained relevance and traction as a guiding framework for reinvigorating international development cooperation. To date, over 130 countries and international organizations have taken part in the implementation of the GDI. The UN has established a GDI implementation work group, and the China-Africa-UNIDO Center of Excellence has been inaugurated.
As China’s proposals turn into international consensus and the country’s visions for inclusive development translate into concrete actions, the GDI is increasingly recognized as a global public good aligned with the needs of the times.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres affirmed that the GDI is totally compatible with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and directly addresses the development challenges confronting the international community.
China has always championed win-win cooperation and common development, advocating joint efforts to make the development pie bigger. The GDI embodies this approach through concrete action.
At a time when some developed countries have fallen short on development-finance commitments or reduced support for international institutions, the initiative has mobilized tangible resources and partnerships to support common progress.
In the past four years, the initiative has mobilized more than $23 billion to support the development and revitalization of the Global South, and launched over 1,800 cooperation projects. From technological cooperation to capacity building, from poverty reduction and education to the digital economy, from high-yield rice to fungus-based processing, and from child nutrition and health to women’s economic empowerment, GDI cooperation has delivered tangible benefits and strengthened local development capabilities.
These efforts have demonstrated that China’s philosophies and agenda of common development not only help countries address pressing challenges, but also provide strong momentum for advancing the broader cause of global development.
Facing new circumstances and challenges, China remains firmly committed to advancing common development. It recently announced that it would forgo any request for new special and differential treatment in current and future World Trade Organization negotiations. This decision demonstrates China’s firm commitment to safeguarding the multilateral trading system and carries clear development significance. It will help refocus the multilateral trading system on development priorities and enhance the inclusiveness and universality of international trade.
China also announced a package of concrete measures: over the next five years, it will implement another 2,000 “small and beautiful” livelihood projects in developing countries; establish a funding program dedicated to digital capacity-building within the Global Development Capital Pool; put forward a new AI+ International Cooperation Initiative; carry out 200 maritime development cooperation projects; and implement a Clean Stove Project in developing countries.
These initiatives will accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and enable more developing countries to seize the opportunities of technological transformation and green transition.
On the path of development, no country or individual should be left behind. This simple yet profound vision animates the GDI and is integral to building a community with a shared future for humanity. China stands ready to work with all parties to use the GDI as a platform to upgrade cooperation, prioritize practical actions, and achieve shared benefits, so that the fruits of development will better benefit people around the world.