Remarks by Mr. Siddharth Chatterjee at China International Development Cooperation Agency Briefing

Vice Chairperson Jang,

DG Tain,

Sincere congratulations to the Government of China for the well-thought and thorough paper coming at a critical moment of China’s development. We in the UN view the White Paper as a “landmark” document further elaborating on China’s views of international development cooperation with a strong focus on new cooperation models, partnerships, platforms, innovation and better coordination.

In the UN, we are pleased to see that the concept of sustainable development is well integrated in China’s international development cooperation. From 2013 to 2018, the period covered by the White Paper, although economic infrastructure still takes the biggest share of China’s loan assistance to developing countries, China has been increasingly investing in such sectors such as education, health, and environment. We take note the unprecedented attention given to humanitarian aid in the White Paper, including large scale assistance to several countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. DG Tian, I am coming from Kenya where I was the UN Resident Coordinator. In early 2020, China ensured Kenya and most African counties received PPEs, gloves, mask and ventilators as the COVID 19 pandemic was raging. This early intervention came at a time when these supplies were urgently needed. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Government of China for this important and timely humanitarian action.

The following points are key to sustainable development principles and we encourage Chinese authorities to consider them in rolling out their development cooperation programmes: (1) inclusivity and sustainability of growth are critical for high-quality development, and (2) the continuous emphasis on the balance of economic and social development is key to success.

China is dedicated to “injecting strength” into the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The plan is to persevere with a people-centered approach, focus on improving living standards, and join forces with other developing countries in responding to global challenges.

2020 marked the 25th anniversary of the Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing, which represented a turning point for the global agenda for gender equality and resulted in pivotal commitments and objectives, the results of which we still measure today.

The  White Paper includes gender equality, a very positive and important addition. China’s push to give a more prominent place to gender equality and women’s empowerment in its cooperation is most welcome. They are the engines of economic growth in Africa.

The UN family stands ready to support China in the realization of the White Paper.