Progress on poverty needs wider lens

Unilateralism, protectionism pose threat to global growth, UN hears

Ma Zhaoxu, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, said addressing unbalanced and inadequate development is crucial to achieving the world’s goals on sustainability.

In remarks at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday, Ma said unilateralism and protectionism are posing a threat to global growth.

“China stands against unilateralism and trade investment protectionism,” he said at the event, which was jointly organized by China’s Permanent Mission to the UN, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, or UN-DESA, and the UN Development Program, or UNDP.

“We believe trade disputes and frictions should be resolved in a reasonable manner. China will work with all parties to uphold free trade and multilateral trade system and maintain a common interest of all countries in the world.”

In recent decades, the world has made significant achievements in socioeconomic development. But economic growth and urbanization, while reducing poverty, have also created many problems, such as massive wealth inequality and severe pollution, which in turn has fueled social disconSustainable tent and resentment.

Ma said that to support an equitable, open, all-round and innovation-driven approach, President Xi Jinping spearheaded a series of initiatives, notably the establishment of the China-UN Peace and Development Trust Fund, which aims to promote scientific and technological innovation in the developing world, and contribute to the work of the UN and multilateralism.

The Chinese government pledged $200 million over a 10-year period. The fund has supported 46 projects amounting to $41 million, since its inception in 2016.

In 2017, sponsored through the fund, UNDP and UN-DESA forged a partnership on “Supporting the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the AsiaPacific”.

The UN’s 2030 Agenda for Development aims to eradicate poverty, among other targets.

This initiative aims to support the establishment of essential building blocks for implementation of the 2030 Agenda and to strengthen the capacity of countries to formulate, implement, review and report on integrated and coherent policies to support its implementation.

“It’s an example of how the UN system and the international development partnerships can engage to strengthen efforts for mainstreaming implementation of SDGs (sustainable development goals),” said Liu Zhenmin, administrator of UNDESA.

Achim Steiner, administrator of UNDP, pointed out that SDGs are fundamental to the UNDP’s strategic plan and highlighted the efforts that will be made in the coming decades.

“For us, this is our business of thinking about development, of helping countries to frame their response, and above all, to accompany them in the implementation of their national strategies for addressing SDGs,” said Steiner.

“We know that in China, SDGs are not something that simply sit on the bookshelf and I hope DESA and UNDP will work through the support of China.”

Liu paid tribute to the 2030 agenda, saying it is “transformative and universal,

Ma Zhaoxu,

which is applicable to all countries and takes into account different nationalities, capacities and levels of development”.

“It’s guided by the vision to leave no one behind,” he said.

Ma added: “China has committed to contributing its part to the implementation of the 2030 agenda — the Belt and Road initiative has been considered as an effort that provides China’s solution.”

Ma said that going forward, China will continue to work with the rest of the world on making progress.

“With stronger partnership, we can create a better environment for more balanced and adequate development,” Ma said.

“Together, we will achieve the goal of the 2030 agenda and make a community with a shared future for mankind a reality.”