Envoy: Belt and Road Initiative makes positive contributions

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) offers a path to solidarity for global partnerships, win-win cooperation on connectivity and global sustainable development, a Chinese ambassador to the United Nations said on Wednesday.

The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) Wednesday released a progress report on the BRI in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The report "Jointly Advancing the Belt and Road Initiative and the 2030 Agenda for Global Sustainable Development (SDGs)" provides rich examples of the BRI’s contributions to global sustainable development, Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the UN, told a news conference that was held jointly by China's Permanent Mission to the UN and the UNDESA.

It is now close to the halfway mark on the timetable for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, but countries, especially developing ones, are still facing multiple crises and challenges, said Zhang.

"To realize the SDGs, we need not only firm commitments, but more importantly, concrete actions," said Zhang. He said in 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed the BRI, which offered China’s wisdom and solutions to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

"The initiative is highly compatible with the 2030 Agenda in terms of visions, goals and measures, and provides strong support and impetus for the implementation of the SDGs," he said.

Zhang said the BRI will "help us address challenges, combat the pandemic, promote global economic recovery, maintain the stability of global supply chains, and cope with food and energy crises." He said the BRI meets the needs of our times, the expectations of peoples, and the shared interests of all countries.

Zhang emphasized that the BRI cooperation is "by no means a solo of China, but a symphony performed by all partners."

"We look forward to working with all partners to discuss together, build together, and share the benefits together, and strive for high-quality development of the BRI, so as to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and make greater contributions to the common development of all countries," said Zhang.

Li Junhua, the UN under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs, and Cristina Duarte, the secretary-general’s special adviser on Africa also attended the news conference.

Ambassadors from countries involved with the BRI such as Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Laos, Greece, Serbia, Hungary, Argentina and Chile attended, as well as representatives of the UNDESA, UN Development Programme and other agencies.

Li said the partnerships and multilateral cooperation created by the BRI have "strongly promoted countries to achieve transformative economic and social development".

The BRI report, advocated by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, illustrates the important role of the initiative in promoting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, Li said.

The BRI experience will be an important reference point for developing countries to closely integrate their own planning with the SDGs and achieve green and sustainable development, said Li.

Ambassadors and representatives of UN agencies at the conference praised the release of the report, highly appreciated the BRI’s role to effectively promote poverty eradication, economic development and interconnection in various countries, firmly believe that the BRI will play a greater role in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Navid Hanif, assistant secretary-general for UNDESA, said that the speeches of all parties fully confirmed that the BRI is an important engine for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

The initiative builds an equal and united partnership, reflecting China’s firm commitment to multilateralism. The international community should continue to deepen the BRI cooperation and inject new impetus into the realization of the SDGs.

The report was supported by a sub-fund of the China-UN Peace and Development Fund. The report analyzes the supporting role of the BRI for the 2030 Agenda, and introduces experience in bilateral and multilateral cooperation.