3 years on, Global Development Initiative continues to build consensus for cooperation

In early September, the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held in Beijing. The summit, attended by more than 50 African countries, highlighted the common pursuit of China and African countries in realizing modernization.

The China-proposed Global Development Initiative (GDI) was under the spotlight during the summit, showing the strong voice of all participating parties to promote common development.

Proposed by China at the General Debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2021, the GDI aims to steer global development toward a new stage of balanced, coordinated and inclusive growth.

The initiative has become another important public good provided by China to the international community in the new era and an important practice of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Since its proposition, the GDI has promoted the international community to focus on development issues, cultivated high-quality driving forces for future development and provided Chinese solutions for countries in the Global South to bridge the development gap and build a better world.

Expanding 'circle of friends'

Over the past three years, more than 100 countries and many international organizations, including the UN, have supported and participated in the initiative. Additionally, more than 80 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI.

China has announced the upgrading of the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund to a Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund and the increase of its total funding to $4 billion, which has supported more than 150 projects. Furthermore, the construction of the Global Development Promotion Center is well underway.

Under the framework of the initiative, Chinese financial institutions have set up a special fund of $10 billion for implementing the GDI, and over 200 cooperation projects have been included in the GDI project pool.

In early 2024, the China International Development Cooperation Agency and the UN Industrial Development Organization signed a joint statement on promoting the comprehensive implementation of the GDI. It is the first comprehensive official document signed by China and a specialized UN agency to implement the initiative, marking new steps and a fresh look in the cooperation within the GDI framework.

The GDI is conducive to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is an excellent framework that aligns with the UN mission to deliver on the SDGs, especially in areas such as green development, food security and infrastructure, said Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the UN Conference on Trade and Development.

Sharing outcomes

In Cuba, China assisted the construction of three solar photovoltaic power stations with an installed capacity of 4 megawatts each, benefiting tens of thousands of families.

"The project is of great importance to Cuba's national economy and its people," Deborah Rivas Saavedra, Cuba's deputy minister of foreign trade and foreign investment, said.

In Fiji, local farmers, by using the technology learned in the China-aid Juncao technical project, have taken the first step to get rid of poverty by growing mushrooms.

"Due to the use of Juncao technology, I have undergone many changes and fully developed myself. More importantly, I've embraced the concept of sustainable development, which allows us to gain more than just money but a mindset advancement," said Seruwaia Waiti Kabukabu, chairwoman of the Fiji Mushroom Farmers Association.

Through a number of "small and beautiful" livelihood projects, such as the Juncao technical project, the Luban Workshop and the hybrid rice demonstration project, the GDI has created education and employment opportunities and built a global open platform in fields including poverty reduction, food security, development financing, climate change and green development.

Meanwhile, China has worked with the UN Office for South-South Cooperation to launch a series of cooperation projects on cross-border e-commerce poverty alleviation and sustainable development capacity building for youths in developing countries.

The country has also mobilized the resources of nearly 20 international organizations, such as the UN World Food Programme and the UN Development Programme, and implemented more than 140 projects in nearly 60 countries, including Ethiopia, Pakistan and Nigeria, benefiting more than 30 million people.

"The GDI was proposed by China; the opportunities and outcomes it offers are shared by the world," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.