By Gong Ming, People’s Daily
Under the framework of the Global Development Initiative (GDI), China has worked with various parties to launch more than 2,000 cooperative projects, directly benefiting communities in more than 120 countries. These efforts are providing vital momentum toward achieving the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In multiple provinces of Laos, China has collaborated with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund to implement child nutrition programs. Through early screening, standardized treatment, and preventive care, these initiatives have saved thousands of children suffering from severe wasting.
Similarly, in Ethiopia, a Luban Workshop launched in 2021 has been recognized by the African Union as a regional training hub for skilled professionals. Graduates trained in mechatronics, industrial robotics, and related fields are now playing key roles in advancing their nations’ industrial modernization.
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan has adopted China’s proven poverty-alleviation strategies in pilot regions, and Zimbabwe has established its second China-Zimbabwe agricultural cooperation demonstration village. Such targeted partnerships are proving instrumental in tackling the persistent global challenge of extreme poverty.
The GDI was conceived in 2021, when the world confronted unprecedented systemic shocks amid the ongoing pandemic, leaving international development efforts at a critical juncture. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s proposal placed sustainable development squarely on the global policy agenda, with its eight priority areas closely aligned with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.
Today, the initiative enjoys broad international backing. More than 130 countries and global institutions have endorsed the GDI and engaged in framework-based cooperation, while nearly 100 partners have signed dedicated cooperation agreements with China. Additionally, 88 nations have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI, and the UN system’s task force on the initiative has drawn participation from over 20 development agencies.
What explains the GDI’s widespread appeal? Concrete results speak volumes.
China has increased the capital of the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund to $4 billion. Collaborating with more than 20 international organizations, the fund has financed over 200 projects across 70 countries, improving the lives of more than 40 million people.
To date, the GDI has helped mobilize $23 billion in support for the Global South, covering major landmark projects such as the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as community-focused “small and beautiful” projects such as juncao cultivation and Luban Workshops.
China has promoted the establishment of a demonstration center for China-Africa (Ethiopia)-UN (UNIDO) cooperation, while developing innovative platforms such as an innovation and training base for the Global Development Promotion Center, a home for young global development leaders, and a global women’s capacity-building center.
Looking ahead, China will roll out another 2,000 livelihood-oriented projects in developing countries over the next five years, expand human capacity-building programs, and continue contributing to the World Trade Organization’s China Program to help least-developed countries integrate into global trading systems.
This year marks the final five-year stretch toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, making the GDI’s practical significance all the more evident.
Consistent with China’s longstanding commitment that no country or individual should be left behind, the initiative prioritizes inclusive growth.
Confronting pressing challenges such as climate change and the digital divide, China is deepening scientific and technological partnerships with other developing nations to ensure that development dividends reach the widest possible population.
For example, China’s MAZU (Multi-hazard, Alert, Zero-gap, and Universal) intelligent meteorological early warning solution has been deployed in seven countries, including Pakistan, Ethiopia and Solomon Islands, and has been made available on a cloud-based trial basis to more than 40 countries.
China has proposed establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, with 38 countries becoming founding members, and announced a series of measures to further support global AI development and advance global AI capacity building.
The past five years prove that only by translating the shared commitment to making development a priority into concrete projects, and turning the vision of development for the benefit of all into tangible improvements in people’s lives, can the foundation of prosperity and stability be firmly established.
China will continue taking strong actions to advance global development, working with all parties to strengthen confidence and advance hand in hand toward more inclusive, more broadly beneficial and more resilient global development.
China takes decisive action to advance global development
