Ministry of Commerce and United Nations in China co-host the Inaugural Meeting of the Joint Steering Committee of UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework

In their opening remarks, Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy China International Trade Representative Wang Shouwen and UN Resident Coordinator Siddharth Chatterjee reiterated the importance of the JSC as the highest governing structure for the implementation of UNSDCF in China. They highlighted the opportunity provided by the Committee to strengthen the UN-China collaboration and guide the programmatic work of the Organization in the country.

“Under the guidance of the UNSDCF, China and UN development agencies will further deepen cooperation, support China’s economic development, and help the world better achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. MOFCOM is willing to continue coordinating with relevant Chinese government departments and work with the UN development system for the effective implementation of the UNSDCF.” said Wang Shouwen, Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy China International Trade Representative.

Vice Minister Wang put forward three proposals to enhance China-UN collaboration, including: i) to deliver on commitments and enhance demonstration effect under the three priorities of the Cooperation Framework, including People and Prosperity, Planet, and Partnerships; ii) to innovate more and harvest more, tapping into UN’s expertise, experts and global networks, and scaling up collaboration with China in digital economy, climate change, renewable energy, etc.; and iii) to strengthen experience sharing and promote common development between China and other developing countries.

“The UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has said that ‘we have to flip the orthodoxy’ for the repositioning of the UN. This is the core spirit of the UN development system reforms. It is the core mandate of the JSC to identify areas and new opportunities to ensure our work remains relevant and adds value to what China and others are doing already in the development area.” said Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China.

The inaugural meeting also featured panel discussions during which the chairs of the Results Groups and the Thematic Groups under the UNSDCF reported on the progress on the implementation of the Cooperation Framework. Speakers highlighted the results achieved over the course of the past year under the three priorities of the framework. Representatives of the Government of China, including from the Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Health Commission, All-China’s Women’s Federation and Ministry of Ecology and Environment provided their guidance for the work of the UN in China going forward.

In closing the event, Director-General Yu Benlin of the Department of International Trade and Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and the UN Resident Coordinator Chatterjee agreed that the UN and the Government of China will continue to work in lockstep to implement the Cooperation Framework. They also underscored the opportunity to leverage China’s resources and experiences to the benefit of other developing countries, in response to their needs, with a view to support them in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals and realize a more sustainable and just future.

The next JSC meeting will take place in the spring of 2023.

For further information, please contact:

Louise Xi LI, Head of Communications, UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in China

Tel: +8610-85320725, Email: xi.li@un.org