High-level meeting of GDI Group of Friends held at UN

A high-level meeting of the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative (GDI) was held Wednesday at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, chaired the meeting.

In his opening remarks, Fu said China has been working hard to forge international consensus on development and foster new drivers for global growth since the GDI was proposed in 2021.

"We have been working closely with other Group of Friends members to enhance synergy between the GDI and the 2030 Agenda and make sure that countries can truly benefit from the fruitful cooperation under the initiative," he said.

The network of friends has been further expanded. Fruitful outcomes have been achieved through practical cooperation, and steady progress has been made in institution building, he added.

The GDI comes from China, but its opportunities and outcomes belong to the whole world. China will continue to work closely with other Group of Friends members and further advance the work of the group to lend fresh impetus to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, said Fu.

UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis said the world faces a severe deficit in development. The GDI has great potential to benefit various countries around the world, he added.

Permanent representatives and deputy permanent representatives from more than 40 countries, as well as officials from various UN agencies, attended the meeting.

Representatives from various countries spoke highly of the GDI's contributions to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals as well as China's leading role in multilateral platforms within the United Nations. They looked forward to more practical cooperation under the umbrella of the GDI.

Wednesday's meeting was the first high-level meeting of the Group of Friends of the GDI this year.

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