On July 28, 2026, the High-Level Meeting on the Global Development Initiative (GDI) at Five Years was held in Beijing under the theme “The Global Development Initiative at Five Years: Joining Hands for A Brighter Future of Sustainable Development.” Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, attended the meeting and delivered remarks.
The meeting brought together Earle Courtenay Rattray, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Chef de Cabinet to the UN Secretary-General; Li Junhua, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs; Fu Cong, Permanent Representative and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations; Stephen Jackson, United Nations Resident Coordinator in China; Tang Ying, Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA); Amakobe Sande, UNICEF Representative to China; Stefan Liller, UNDP Resident Representative in China; Nii Quaye-Kumah, IFAD Representative in China; Wang Jinzhao, Executive Vice President of the Center for International Knowledge on Development (CIKD); Guo Huadong, Director General of the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS); Arthur Williams, Ambassador of Jamaica to China; Khalil Hashmi, Ambassador of Pakistan to China; and Willy Bett, Ambassador of Kenya to China, as well as diplomatic envoys, representatives of international and regional organizations in China, UN officials, representatives of relevant Chinese government departments, experts and scholars.Professor Zhu Xufeng, Dean of the School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, and Executive Dean of the Institute for Sustainable Development Goals, Tsinghua University (Tsinghua SDG Institute), attended the high-level meeting.
Wang Yi noted that five years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Development Initiative at the General Debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, providing China’s insight and contribution to reinvigorating global development. Over the past five years, the GDI has continued to demonstrate its role in guiding global development, with cooperation mechanisms across various fields steadily improving and practical outcomes being delivered. At a time when the international landscape is marked by transformation and turbulence, progress toward the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is significantly off track, the development gap between the Global North and South continues to widen, and the global development cause faces severe challenges. Against this backdrop, Wang called for continued commitment to development and stronger alignment between the GDI and the UN development agenda. He emphasized the need to strengthen solidarity and cooperation, build greater synergy for action, promote openness and mutual learning, and uphold multilateralism, so as to foster a more enabling environment for global development.
Wang Yi delivers remarks at the meeting
United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Chef de Cabinet to the UN Secretary-General Earle Courtenay Rattray, Ambassador of Pakistan to China Khalil Hashmi, and Ambassador of Kenya to China Willy Bett attended the meeting and delivered remarks.
The meeting featured two interactive dialogues. The first, titled “The Global Development Initiative in Support of the Implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” was moderated by Stephen Jackson, United Nations Resident Coordinator in China. Panelists included Tang Ying, Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation of CIDCA; Amakobe Sande, UNICEF Representative to China; Nii Quaye-Kumah, IFAD Representative in China; and Professor Zhu Xufeng. The discussion focused on the alignment between the Global Development Initiative and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, international development cooperation, and sustainable development.
From left: Stephen Jackson, Tang Ying, Amakobe Sande, Nii Quaye-Kumah, and Zhu Xufeng (Photo: Lou Ya)
Zhu Xufeng noted that, in the five years since its launch, the Global Development Initiative has gradually evolved from a conceptual vision into a regularized, institutionalized and project-based model of international cooperation, providing new practical pathways for more balanced global development and the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. By focusing on such areas as poverty reduction, food security, green and low-carbon development, and connectivity, the GDI has effectively helped developing countries address development bottlenecks and strengthen their endogenous development capacities. At the same time, global development continues to face structural challenges arising from geopolitical rivalry, unilateralism and protectionism, as well as a mismatch between global governance resources and development needs. These challenges are further constraining the development space available to developing countries and widening the gap between the Global North and South.
Looking ahead, Zhu emphasized the importance of upholding multilateralism and placing development at the center of the global agenda. Greater efforts should be made in areas including food security, public health, green transition and digital inclusion, with stronger cooperation in technology sharing, talent development and capacity building. At the same time, the international community should work toward a fairer and more equitable global governance system and further deepen South-South cooperation. He pointed out that the core value of the Global Development Initiative lies in providing a new model of global development cooperation based on extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. Countries should take into account their respective national conditions and development endowments and explore sustainable development pathways suited to their own circumstances.
High-Level Meeting on the Global Development Initiative at Five Years
In recent years, the Tsinghua SDG Institute has maintained a sustained focus on the global sustainable development agenda and global development governance, actively engaging in exchanges and cooperation in the field of sustainable development through academic research, international exchanges and policy dialogue. Marking the fifth anniversary of the Global Development Initiative, the meeting provided an important platform for participants to review the progress and achievements of the Initiative and explore the future direction of global development cooperation. Against the backdrop of multiple challenges facing global development, participants engaged in in-depth discussions on advancing the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, strengthening international development cooperation, and promoting development across the Global South. They also explored pathways for addressing global challenges through development cooperation and building a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable global development system.
News Sources: Xinhua News Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China
