Pre-Summit of the Future Dialogue on Accelerating Progress Towards Global Sustainable Development

I thank the People's Republic of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for co-hosting the Pre-Summit of the Future Dialogue with the United Nations in China. 

According to UN-DESA's 2023 Sustainable Development Goals Report, only 15% of SDG targets are on course to be met by 2030, 30% have stalled or regressed, and the remaining 55% have made slow or insufficient progress. 

On our current trajectory, we will not accomplish any of the 17 SDGs by 2030, and ESCAP estimates that the SDGs will not be met in the Asia and Pacific Region until 2062, three decades later than planned. 

Now is certainly the time for more rapid and aggressive action. We are currently in a moment of interlocking crises – climate change, global conflicts, food insecurity – that require global solutions. As the multilateral system comes under increasing stress and its ability to respond to these crises is called into question by some parties, we have a one-time opportunity to reposition the United Nations so that it is fit for purpose to respond to these challenges and to demonstrate that multilateralism can still effectively address existing, developing, and future difficulties. 

That is why the Summit of the Future will be held this September in New York. As the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, "This Summit is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvigorate global action, recommit to fundamental principles, and further develop the frameworks of multilateralism so they are fit for the future." 

Our discussion today is part of our concerted efforts to further inform this Summit. I thank the Ambassadors of UN Member States, the Government of China, representatives of international organizations, UN colleagues, the private sector, academic institutions, and foundations, for their insights on how we can use China's development experiences to accelerate progress toward global sustainable development. 

These perspectives and experiences strengthen our shared awareness of the need to mobilize funds and partnerships, and develop routes that enable multiplier impacts across the SDGs through the identification of synergies and knock-on effects.

Today's debate is not a stand-alone event; it is part of the UN in China's efforts to increase awareness of and support serious deliberations leading up to the Summit of the Future. Our Pre-Summit of the Future events began in April with two events: one on artificial intelligence and digital technology, held on the margins of the UN University Institute in Macau's AI Conference 2024, and another on advancing progress toward the SDGs, co-hosted with CIDCA and the Chinese Permanent Mission to ESCAP on the sidelines of the 80th session of ESCAP. 

In May, the International Cooperation Center hosted an event on global governance and multilateralism in Hunan Province, followed by another with the Embassy of Kenya on the Nairobi Declaration and Climate Action.

Future events will include a Youth and Future Generations event co-hosted with the All-China Youth Federation, as well as one on how the commercial sector can promote SDG progress and increased funding. 

Excellencies, 

The goal of these interactions, including today's session, is to foster mutual understanding, build and solidify alliances and platforms, and eventually mobilize critical resources for the SDGs. 

Today's event revealed the tangible opportunities we have to accelerate progress on the SDGs and global sustainable development, and we must put these ideas into action immediately if we are to save the 2030 Agenda. 

I hope you leave today's event with new perspectives on our common road towards the SDGs. I appreciate your contributions, which we hope to present as input to the Summit of the Future.

Let me also take this opportunity to thank Namibia and Germany, and their ambassadors to China, His Excellency Mr. Elia G. Kaiymo and Her Excellency Dr. Patricia Flor, for leading and shepherding the Summit of the Future process. Their commitment and drive have been commendable.