Inaugural Ceremony of the Africa-China Alliance for Poverty Alleviation & the 2022 FOCAC Africa-China Poverty Reduction and Development Conference

H.E. Mr. XIA Gengsheng, Vice-Administrator of the National Rural Revitalization Administration of the People’s Republic of China,

H.E. Mr. Liu Yuxi, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on African Affairs,

Hon. Lt. Col (Rtd) Dr. Rwamirama Bright, Minister of State for Animal Industry, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries of Uganda,

H.E. Mr. Osman Rahamtalla, Permanent Representative of the African Union to China,

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I thank the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC), for the invitation to address the Inaugural Ceremony of the Africa-China Alliance for Poverty Alleviation and the 2022 FOCAC Africa-China Poverty Reduction and Development Conference.

As part of the FOCAC framework, the first China-Africa Poverty Reduction and Development Conference took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during November 2010, organized by IPRCC, the United Nations Development Programme and the Government of Ethiopia. At that time, people were discussing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and sharing lessons from China’s experiences in poverty reduction, rural development, food security, public-private partnerships, and trade and investment.

More than a decade has passed. While we have transitioned from the MDGs to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the topics discussed during the 2010 Conference remain relevant, the stakes today are even higher.

The SDG Report 2022 details how the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is being put in grave danger. A confluence of interlinked crises, including COVID-19, climate change, and conflicts, are creating spin-off impacts on food and nutrition, health, education, the environment, and peace and security, affecting global progress on all SDGs.

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres made a clarion call, when he said, “we must rise higher to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals – and stay true to our promise of a world of peace, dignity and prosperity on a healthy planet.” 

Africa is a land of hope and enormous opportunities. It is estimated that achieving the SDGs could open US$ 12 trillion in market opportunities and create 380 million jobs by 2030. The Africa Continental Free Trade Area also offers an opportunity to achieve the SDGs and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. However, environmental degradation, climate disasters, weakened economies, violent extremism, rapid urbanization, and other factors have led to ongoing violent conflicts and humanitarian crises in a number of countries in Africa. To mention a few tragic examples, the Horn of Africa (HoA) is facing its worst drought in more than four decades, and the Sahel region is experiencing one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement crises. All this puts poverty reduction in peril.

Africa’s sustainable development remains a high priority for the UN system. This includes the UN Country Team in China. Having spent half of my career in Africa, I am a firm believer in its potential and its people, in their creativity and courage – to break the chains of their past, rise to the challenges at present, and lead the world in the future.

China has made remarkable achievements in the past four decades, and the UN system has been part of this journey since we opened our first office in 1979. Much has happened since, and not all lessons were painless or are applicable to all countries. Yet, one key lesson emerged: partnerships have played a key role in bringing expertise and knowledge that supported and will continue to support China’s development.

As China continues in its development journey, there is an important opportunity for it to remain a strong development partner for the Global South: to share its resources, expertise and knowledge with other countries, including those in Africa.

The UN in China remains committed to supporting China’s international development cooperation efforts, to ensure alignment to recognized international norms and standards, and with a view to accelerate global progress on the SDGs. We aim to cultivate a transformative China-Africa-UN partnership, by committing our expertise and knowledge, with a view to ensuring that China-Africa cooperation is demand-driven and in line with countries’ expectations, local needs and national development priorities, as well as Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda.

Since 2021, we have had a series of high-level policy dialogues, in collaboration with the African Ambassadors’ Group in China, the Host Government and UN Country Teams in Africa, and in Asia and the Pacific. We aim to forge partnerships with the private sector and turn plans into projects that bring real impact to the people of Africa, with a focus on agriculture and food security. At the request of representatives of HoA countries, the UN in China supported the “Dialogue on Agricultural Cooperation and Food Security: Toward a more resilient and sustainable Horn of Africa” in September 2022. The dialogue brought together a diverse range of stakeholders to explore concrete areas for project-based cooperation toward greater food security in HoA countries.

We hope that this dialogue forms part of a series of targeted activities through which the UN in China will offer technical assistance in support of South-South Cooperation efforts, with the aim of achieving a strong and balanced partnership between China and Africa, one that places African countries’ needs at the centre and adopts the SDGs as the blueprint for cooperation.

Our arms are open wide – we welcome all present today, including government, private sector, academia and foundations to join our efforts as part of a transformative partnership to rescue the SDGs.

I wish today’s event a great success.