Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng speaks at the high-level meeting on Global Development Initiative Cooperation Outcomes, which was hosted by China on the sidelines of this year's session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept 19, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

UNITED NATIONS – China stands ready to work with all parties to push for a sound and steady advancement of the Global Development Initiative (GDI), Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng said here on Tuesday.

The Chinese side also looks forward to making joint efforts with all parties to gather strong strength for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and for building a global community of shared development, Han said at the high-level meeting on Global Development Initiative Cooperation Outcomes.

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China hosted the event on the sidelines of this year's session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

More than 70 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI, and nearly 200 cooperation projects have been included in the GDI project pool, said Han

It is both the GDI's aspiration and the UN's goal that no country or person should be left behind on the path of development, he noted.

The GDI, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the 76th session of UNGA in 2021, is aimed at forging international consensus on promoting development, nurturing new momentum for global development, and advancing the common progress of all countries in the world, Han said.

Over the last two years, Han noted, countries endorsing the GDI have, through concerted efforts, "cast the yes vote" for development, enlarged the "circle of friends" for cooperation, enriched the "pool of resources" for development and built the "toolkit" for development.

More than 70 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI, and nearly 200 cooperation projects have been included in the GDI project pool, Han said.

The Chinese side has established a $10-billion special fund for the purpose of implementing the GDI, he said.

The world faces serious challenges in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on schedule, with approximately 90 percent of the goals "off track", and nearly one-third of them either stalled or regressing. Meanwhile, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is in the ascendant, and countries are facing an opportunity to transition into higher-quality development, said Han.

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He proposed to continue practicing genuine multilateralism, bring development issues back to the center of the international agenda, and enhance the representation and voice of developing countries in global governance.

He also proposed synergizing the development strategies of all parties and actively promote global, regional, sub-regional and inter-country development cooperation to give play to each other's complementary advantages.

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Han also proposed to mobilize all kinds of development resources to help solve the most pressing problems facing developing countries.

He also proposed to actively tap growth areas for practical cooperation and jointly explore the path of technology-led, resource-efficient, and eco-friendly development.