Global Development Initiative (GDI) Empowers the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

In September 2021， Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the General Debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly via video link and proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI) for the first time. The GDI is China’s solution to promoting global development and building a global community with shared development. It enriches， develops， and innovates global development theory， and holds significant importance for advancing the construction of China’s relationship with the world in the new era. The GDI injects strong momentum into getting the UN 2030 Agenda back on track after the pandemic， and maintaining the mainstream of global development amid escalating geopolitical conflicts.

Characteristics of GDI as New Global Public Goods

The GDI is a new type of public goods that combines conceptual guidance and action-oriented approaches. It is characterized by qualities such as commonality， cooperation， inclusiveness and innovation.

Firstly， commonality. The GDI is proposed to all countries and regions around the world. It seeks to address challenges shared by all countries and requires collective efforts from the international community to achieve the common development of all countries and build a global community with shared development. Although countries differ a lot in terms of local conditions and development levels， they all face numerous common issues and challenges that transcend borders， such as sluggish post-pandemic economic recovery， climate change， environmental crises， uneven and unequal development， public health concerns， energy and food security， etc. These issues require joint efforts from international organizations， governments， enterprises and non-governmental organizations (NGO) to figure out and implement comprehensive solutions. At the same time， there are common development opportunities in all countries， like scientific and technological innovations including digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI)， renewable energy and green economy， education revolution and skills improvement etc. This requires all stakeholders involved to join hands to turn them into tangible outcomes.

Secondly， cooperation. The GDI highlights the necessity， importance and feasibility of cooperation. We need international cooperation to solve either cross-border problems in global development or interdependence and vulnerabilities in international economic relations. International cooperation is key to tackling structural problems like climate change， public health and security， as well as uneven and unequal development. International cooperation is also the only way to promote scientific and technological progress and cultural exchanges， share knowledge and innovation outcomes. The GDI emphasizes that cooperation drives development， and development supports cooperation. It also identifies key areas for cooperative development and development cooperation.

Thirdly， inclusiveness. The GDI focuses on development partners， people’s livelihood and human rights， supports “vulnerable countries” and harmonious coexistence between human and nature. All these reflect a people-centered concept， the inclusiveness among individuals， societies， countries and the environment， and are concrete manifestations of an inclusive multilateralism advocated by the UN. To achieve an inclusive development shared by all is the fundamental way to solve inequity and eliminate the root cause of conflicts. Only by formulating and implementing inclusive laws and policies， creating inclusive institutions and environments， facilitating broad social dialogues， citizen participation and global cooperation， can we eliminate unequal， inadequate and uneven development and achieve the goal of common development， not leaving any country behind.

Fourthly， innovation. The GDI introduces innovative concepts， principles， paths， and strategies for global development， offering guiding significance for the future of global innovation and development amid profound changes of a scale unseen in a century.

To start， the GDI proposes innovative concepts. The GDI has for the first time systematically advocated concepts like development coming first， people-centered， universally beneficial and inclusive， innovation-driven and harmonious coexistence. These innovative concepts not only summarize China’s reflections on and experience in modernization but also offer forward-thinking solutions to the global challenges facing development today.

Then， all parties have made many innovative mechanism arrangements. In addition to the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative (GDI)， China has specially established the Global Development Promotion Center (GDPC) as a shared platform for introducing concepts， innovation methods， pooling resources and promoting actions to implement the GDI. As for now， the GDI has established diverse cooperation mechanisms and platforms including the High-level Conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development， the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund， the Global Development Digital Promotion Platform， project database， innovation training centers and Global Development Promotion Center Network.

Lastly， there are innovative and practical measures and actions. During the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue held in July 2023， China announced a special fund totaling $10 billion to implement the GDI. At the first High-level Conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development held in August 2023， all parties approved the Guidelines on Global Development Project Database and the Guidelines on Global Development Project Database Fundraising.

In short， the implementation of the GDI has made innovative progress and results in terms of development mechanisms， funding， capabilities， platforms and projects.

GDI Injects New Momentum into Accelerating Implementation of UN 2030 Agenda

According to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Report 2023: Special Edition， among the around 140 targets for which trend data is available， only 15% of targets are on track， 48% of targets are moderately or severely off track， and 37% are in stagnation or have regressed below the 2015 baseline. Therefore， with current progress， most SDG targets will not be met on time. Due to the combined impacts of public health crisis， climate change and geopolitical conflicts， accelerating the implementation of the SDGs demands new impetus. The GDI， by strengthening development concepts， specifying development principles， focusing on development actions， will contribute to the achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda.

Firstly， strengthening development concepts. The GDI and the UN 2030 Agenda share the idea of sustainable development， laying conceptual foundation for the collective actions of the international community. By putting development at the first place， the GDI clearly emphasizes the need to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda. In response to new characteristics and new challenges of global development after the pandemic， as well as the emerging difficulties and problems in implementing the UN 2030 Agenda， the GDI puts forward six commitments. This is a succinct summary of China’s modernization experience and possesses a global perspective at the same time. They extend the core concepts of the UN 2030 Agenda while being more specific and practical. The people-oriented development pattern is integrated into the process of realizing Chinese modernization and participating in global development and cooperation. The Chinese modernization path and solution hold global significance， and contain universal experience and wisdom. As a fundamental feature and core concept of Chinese modernization， commitment to being people-centered will definitely inject inexhaustible driving force into the UN 2030 Agenda.

Secondly， specifying development principles. The UN 2030 Agenda outlines development vision and 17 SDGs containing 169 detailed targets. This in fact is to build a community with a shared future featuring peaceful and secure development， economically inclusive development， social stability development and environmentally coordinated development; a community with a shared future featuring balanced and adequate development either within a country or among countries; a community with a shared future featuring development for all， by all and its fruits shared by all. However， to realize the development vision， to build the community with a shared future and to guide member states and other parties in achieving the goals require corresponding development principles. The GDI provides an action roadmap for realizing visions and goals. For one example， staying committed to benefits for all aims to address imbalanced and inadequate development and build a shared development space， to create high-quality global development partnership and gather high-quality development resources， and to foster international cooperation for development in the new era and cultivate endogenous development momentum. Another example is staying committed to innovation-driven development. It aims to accelerate scientific and technological innovation and the conversion of scientific and technological achievements， push for innovation in both sci-tech and institutions and speed up technology transfer and knowledge sharing. It also seeks to develop modern industries， close the digital divide， accelerate low-carbon transition， and cultivate new driving force for global development." Lastly is staying committed to harmony between man and nature， which emphasizes acceleration of green transformation and development， improvement of global environment governance and construction of a Shared Future for All Life on Earth.

Thirdly， focusing on development actions. The GDI advocates an action-oriented approach， focusing on promoting cooperation in eight key areas: poverty alleviation， food security， pandemic response and vaccines， financing for development， climate change and green development， industrialization， digital economy and connectivity. These eight key areas dovetail with the UN 2030 SDGs， and are important extensions of the SDG key areas， contributing to accelerating the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda. Since its launch， the GDI has made practical progress in investment of development resources， establishment of mechanisms and platforms， advancement of cooperative projects， and sharing of development knowledge. China has facilitated the establishment of the “Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiatives” at the UN， which is a multilateral mechanism for participation， support， and implementation of the GDI. It also serves as an effective platform for member states to consult with the UN development system on the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda. China has also set up the Global Development Promotion Center to oversee the implementation of the GDI and carry out program cooperation. China shares comprehensive and specialized reports with the world， including the Global Development Report， China’s Progress Report on Implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development， Progress Report on the Global Development Initiative and the Global Development Initiative Progress and World Contribution Report， providing precious development knowledge products for the world.

Pathways of GDI Empowering UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The GDI can be considered as a Chinese solution to advancing and implementing the UN 2030 Agenda， while the Agenda is providing an international platform for promoting the GDI. On the one hand， the GDI gives extended reach， fresh momentum， and enhanced sustainability for the UN 2030 Agenda. On the other hand， the Agenda creates opportunities and space for the GDI to practice and demonstrate common development， shared development， inclusive development， innovative development， and harmonious coexistence development. Alignment， joint construction and demonstration are the main pathways through which the GDI empowers the UN 2030 Agenda.

First， the GDI is highly compatible and complementary with the UN 2030 Agenda in terms of concepts， goals， and strategies. Through multi-layered， diverse， and multi-dimensional alignment， it is possible to achieve synergies between the GDI and the UN 2030 Agenda， making the GDI truly a booster， stabilizer， and accelerator of global development.

To start， it is alignment of core concepts. The six commitments proposed by the GDI， namely development as a priority， people-centered approach， benefits for all， innovation-driven development， harmony between man and nature and results-oriented actions， are completely compatible with the sustainable development concept of the UN 2030 Agenda. They are a specific embodiment， as well as a further enrichment and development of the concept.

Then， it is alignment of key areas. The alignment between eight key areas of the GDI and the 17 SDGs which are divided into 169 specific targets in the UN 2030 Agenda， can better pool resources and mobilize enthusiasm of all parties.

Lastly， it is alignment of mechanisms. At the international level， the mechanism alignment involves incorporating various GDI international cooperation mechanisms into the corresponding mechanism system of the UN 2030 Agenda， achieving coordinated progress of the two. At the national level， the mechanism alignment involves providing professional knowledge， information and technology support， international standards and norms through bilateral and multilateral cooperation. UN Country Teams and Resident Coordinators (RCs)， who are more familiar with the local situations and needs of the countries involved， can reduce risks and enhance effectiveness of GDI projects. The mechanism alignment between the GDI and the UN 2030 Agenda upholds the principle of consultation and collaboration， follows a multi-layered advancement approach， and integrates existing mechanisms and proposals to maximize synergy and efficiency.

Second， cooperation with international organizations to jointly advance the GDI and the UN 2030 Agenda is an important pathway of the GDI to empower the 2030 Agenda. The UN 2030 Agenda has a global vision and can be instructive to the work of international organizations. The joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has provided rich practical experience for the joint advancement of GDI and the UN 2030 Agenda. China has signed cooperation documents of jointly building the BRI with 32 international organizations in a decade. The cooperation and joint construction between China and international organizations are not only innovative practices of the BRI， but also promoting GDI’s agenda-orientedness， multilateralism， standardization， institutionalization， and results-orientedness， thereby providing a pathway for the achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda. It is still now in the start-up stage of cooperation and joint construction between the GDI and the UN 2030 Agenda requires enhanced work in three perspectives. (1)Partnership with the UN special agencies. The UN has 15 special agencies to carry out international cooperation in the economy， culture， society， education， science， health and other areas. The GDI’s eight key areas are closely linked with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)， World Health Organization (WHO)， United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)， the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)， the"United Nations Educational， Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)， and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). These agencies should be prioritized as key partners for collaboration. (2)Partnership with the UN agencies in China. The 23 UN agencies operating in China are important partners in China’s promotion of international development cooperation， providing professional knowledge and technological support for South-South cooperation. (3)Partnership with regional， international organizations and other multilateral mechanisms. The main partners include ASEAN， the African Union (AU)， the Group of 77， the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)， the BRICS mechanism， etc. Activities can include strategic communication， policy dialogues， thematic seminars， promotional campaigns， outcomes displays and other forms of events.

Third， by conducting exemplary practices， gathering experience， forming concrete solutions and promoting them， guidance can be provided to accelerate the achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda. To achieve better outcomes and greater results of the GDI， we can select representative countries and regions， cultivate them into forerunners and launch flagship projects as models to guide others. We can also engage governments， societies， UN development system and other stakeholders to work together and establish GDI and UN 2030 Agenda demonstration zones in some countries focusing on the eight key areas. Demonstration projects in the eight key areas can contribute to the advancement of SDGs in direct or indirect ways. We take poverty alleviation as an example. It is the priority target of both the GDI and the UN 2030 Agenda. Among the first 50 practical cooperation projects in the Global Development Project Database， more than half of them are related to poverty alleviation. Those “small yet smart” projects within the GDI framework， international poverty reduction and rural revitalization training programs， demonstration projects of poverty reduction cooperation in East Asia and policy studies on employment， health， inclusive financing and energy accessibility and small-scale demonstration projects under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) “poverty and inequality” signature solutions framework will all have guiding effect on achieving goals of eliminating poverty worldwide.

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Zhang Guihong is Professor at the Institute of International Studies of Fudan University