China was one of the architects of the United Nations and was the first signatory of the UN Charter in San Francisco in 1945. But it was only in October 1971, with the Chinese delegation led by Mr. Qiao Guanhua, that China's representation at the UN resumed. Since that time, the UN has had the great privilege of witnessing and supporting China in achieving one of the greatest periods of socio-economic progress in world history. Now, on the 50th anniversary of the UN in China, I am honored to serve as the UN Resident Coordinator, a post I took earlier this year. While I am a recent arrival to China, only just beginning to understand its rich tapestry of over 5,000 years of civilization, the UN in China has had the privilege to shape and witness the profound economic and social transformations that have occurred since reform and opening-up. As we commemorate a half-century of cooperation, a question naturally emerges: Which way now for the UN and China? This is a weighty question, as China and the world are at a critical juncture. Tentatively emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, but with many countries still struggling terribly. Staring down the threats of climate change, with record-setting heat, fires, storms, and other disasters. Counting down the years in this "Decade of Action" to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. China's standard-setting leadership in past decades gives me confidence that we can achieve even greater things in the years to come. China's record-breaking economic development In 1978, Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening-up policy began to transform the nation, as evidenced, for example, in Shenzhen, which changed from a fishing village on the Pearl River Delta into an international hub for research and innovation in a single generation. And in 1979, China chose to accept development assistance from the UN, learning from its long experience in poverty alleviation and industrial and agricultural growth. China's success in the more than 40 years since then has been nothing short of miraculous. During this time, China: Lifted over 750 million people out of absolute poverty; Invested in public health and education, investing in human capital thus making possible a happier and healthier workforce that contributed to economic productivity; Became the world's manufacturing centre, based on a growth model of foreign investments, resource-intensive manufacturing, cheap labour, and exports; Multiplied its per capita GDP from $180 in 1979 to an incredible $12,000 today.   The signs of this progress are evident not just in statistics, but in daily quality-of-life matters. Throughout China now lie the classic hallmarks of a market economy, with opulent shops from luxury brands, foreign and domestic. A far cry from what I saw as a young boy growing up near Chinatown in my native Kolkata, India, though fondly remembered as a warren of alleys, narrow aisles of food markets, elderly men playing board games in parks, with Chinese characters on the signs overhead. For example, in Beijing during the early 1980s, cabbage was often the only vegetable on menus. With help from the UN's development agency in China, availability at markets expanded - supporting the diversification of domestic vegetables and introducing new ones from abroad, such as broccoli. This startling success is on track to continue. China's per capita GDP is projected to more than double by 2025, reaching over $25,000, adjusted for purchasing power. The country's surging economy is set to overtake 56 countries in the world's per-capita income rankings during the quarter-century through 2025, the International Monetary Fund projects. No less an authority than Professor Jeffrey Sachs, a United Nations SDG Advocate and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, has called China an "inspiration" in stopping the pandemic and ending poverty. This progress is all the more remarkable considering the hit that the pandemic has delivered to the global economy. China's generosity and leadership on this front are commendable. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the 9th World Peace Forum in Beijing "to build a 'Great Wall of Immunity' to battle the COVID-19 pandemic." Still, challenges remain. As with any economy at this stage of development, the relentless pursuit of high growth is reaching its natural limits, and China faces new economic, social, and environmental challenges. New priorities for agenda 2030 and beyond The UN Sustainable Development Goals are meant to be achieved by the year 2030, and we are now in what is called "the Decade of Action." I see three areas for close cooperation at this critical juncture. First, a new sustainable development model. The Government recognizes slower economic growth as the "new normal." Changing demographic, labour, and investment realities present China with new obstacles in addressing food security, pervasive inequalities, and cost-effectiveness in universal healthcare. In a post-Xiaokang society, China needs to embrace innovations and services that drive equitable and inclusive progress, dealing with the legacies of rapid expansion to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and leave no one behind. Second, climate change. As a consequence of its large population and economy, China is the world's single largest emitter of carbon dioxide, responsible for a quarter of global emissions. Having recognized the environmental costs of this development model, President Xi Jinping has set a bold ambition for China to hit peak carbon emissions by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060. This enormous feat will require a massive transition in how China's economy works and its population lives every day. Seismic shifts in investments and technologies will be needed. Third, multilateralism. China is a champion for multilateral efforts to address global challenges. China has the will, knowledge, and resources to contribute enormously to the Sustainable Development Goals and position itself as an exceptional member of the community of nations. Today, China is the second-largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget and has sent more peacekeepers to UN missions than any other permanent member of the Security Council. China also played a vital role in shaping the consensus needed for the SDGs and the Paris Agreement. Future efforts should emphasize initiatives that expand vaccine access, grant debt relief to lower-income countries, and provide sustainable financing for infrastructure and climate efforts. China and the United Nations The United Nations family in China is in lockstep with China's vision. The 2030 Agenda and the recently agreed-upon Country Framework are the blueprints for building on the gains of the past. In this Decade of Action to achieve the SDGs, the UN can support this ambition and convene, connect and catalyze stakeholders in leveraging China's development experience to benefit other countries, especially those in Africa, in the spirit of South-South Cooperation. As the world deals with the pandemic, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres says, "As we strive to respond and recover, we must re-examine many longstanding assumptions and reconsider the approaches that have led us astray. We must also re-imagine the way nations cooperate. The pandemic has underscored the need for a strengthened and renewed multilateralism." This October will also be time for the UN and China to celebrate our 50-year relationship. China and the UN will re-imagine, innovate, reinvigorate and continue the hard and daily work and dedicate ourselves anew to creating lasting prosperity for the people of China and all the world.

Arriving in Guangzhou as a first-time visitor to China, I could not help but think of former U.S Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's description of what he saw as an underdeveloped provincial city in the 1980s.
 
As I gazed at the city's architecture and infrastructure from the airport and hotel during my 21-day quarantine period, I felt amazed as if my plane had taken me back to Dubai, which is another city that represents another iconic demonstration of dramatic transformation.
 
Looking at this city from this lens as I spent three weeks in isolation gave me a unique perspective through which to view this city's history while considering China's meteoric rise in recent decades.  A development miracle to be shared with the world In lifting nearly 800 million people from extreme poverty over the past four decades as well as the nearly 100 million poor rural citizens in the past eight years, China's accomplishments are simply remarkable.
 
The story of its development into the world's second-largest economy and its key takeaways
are of great significance, which we must share with other developing nations, especially those in Africa, where I was last posted as UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya. Whether in manufacturing, its open market access, or its agricultural sectors, China's has a breadth of development experience worth learning from.  Consider this; over 40 per cent of Africa's agricultural produce is wasted every year due to post harvest loss.  Africa should be the breadbasket of the world, but yet it imports nearly US 60-70 billion dollars' worth of food.  In this Decade of Action for the SDGs, our direction is clear. We leave no one behind.
 
With these remaining challenges present as we embark on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the United Nations Country Team in China now stands in a unique position to cooperate with the Government of China and apply these successes in Africa and other nations in the Global South. Working with a champion for multilateralism Rather than shirk from international cooperation, China has shown its firm belief in the principles of multilateralism. Despite the stresses that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on international cooperation, China has acted in tenacity and compassion, joining hands with other nations to face this global challenge. As I witnessed in Kenya, China's donations of personal protective equipment and other supplies played a critical role during the disruption in global supply chains in March 2020. And its preventative public health response has set a model for the world to adopt in slowing the virus's spread to save lives and livelihoods. As President Xi Jinping noted at the Davos Forum, "winter cannot stop the pace of spring". Mankind will overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.  Whether it's the continued investments in South-South Cooperation or the Belt and Road Initiative, we see China moving forward to build an ecosystem that provides a network for prosperity, well-being and education on a global scale. Economic progress is mutually reinforcing and interdependent. The human race cannot be decoupled just as technology and humanity cannot be decoupled. Ambitious and determined to win My arrival here is one of fate. At the age of 9, as a boy in Chinatown, Kolkata, India, I found a pair of brown boots at the markets, simply too expensive for my family. The Chinese shopkeeper then came over, hand on shoulder, and handed me a bag where I later found the exact boots in my size.  Upon returning to this store, the shopkeeper told my parents said that he once had a son my age, whom he lost due to a cholera outbreak.  My mother reminded me of this story upon my nomination by the UN Secretary-General Mr Antonio Guterres, to serve as UN Resident Coordinator in China. Every day I am here, I am inspired by what I see around me, what China has achieved and can achieve as a country.  The maturity and spirit of a country with 5,000 years of civilization. I pledge to keep enhancing my knowledge of China, understand its trends, maintain a spirit of innovation as we explore new partnerships with the private sector, and give full play to the UN family's initiatives. As I continue on my journey as the UN Resident Coordinator in China, I lead a UN Country Team that will deliver as one. I hope that the Government of China and its people see us make progress so that they can say that this is a United Nations that is fit for purpose, fulfils its mission and lives up to the vision of the Secretary-General.

Women hold up half the sky.  Some years ago, Sarah Al Amiri, a young Emirati engineer, had a fixed gaze beyond the sky and towards our galaxy. “Space was a sector that we never dared to dream growing up,” she noted.  Fast forward and Sarah Al Amiri is now the United Arab Emirates first Minister of State for Advanced Technology, successfully leading an ambitious project which launched a spacecraft into orbit around Mars, the first-ever Arab interplanetary mission. This has only been achieved by four other nations, including China.  Al Amiri contends that, “the mission is called Amal, which means ‘hope’ in Arabic, because we are contributing to global understanding of a planet. We are going above and beyond the turmoil that is now defining our region and becoming positive contributors to science”. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, women in the UAE, China and elsewhere have also led ground-breaking efforts against the virus in the fields of public health, vaccines and treatments. The Hope Mission and COVID-19 pandemic highlight the potential gains to be achieved by ensuring full and equal access for women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). As UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphatically stated, “women and girls belong in science and there is a dividend to be gained for countries that acknowledge this truth.” Greater Participation Needed in STEM Fields According to UNESCO, women account for only 28 percent of engineering graduates and 40 percent in computer science and informatics. This gender disparity is alarming, especially as STEM careers are often referred to as the jobs of the future, driving innovation, social wellbeing, inclusive growth and sustainable development. Women account for only one-third scientific researchers globally, holding fewer senior positions than men at top universities. Furthermore, with the growth of artificial intelligence, automation and machine learning, there are risks for reinforcing inequalities, as the needs of women are more likely to be overlooked in the design of products and projects.  Increasing women’s participation in STEM accelerates sustainable development in low and middle-income countries, offering an opportunity to close gender pay gaps and boosting women’s earnings by USD 299 billion over the next decade. Studies indicate that girls perform as well as boys in science and mathematics, and in many parts countries outperforming them. Aptitude is not the issue.  Gender equality in STEM acts as a powerful accelerator for the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  Norms and stereotypes that limit girls’ expectations need to be eliminated, while educators must motivate girls to become changemakers, entrepreneurs and innovators. Thankfully, there are already encouraging signs of change, in both the UAE and China. Growing Equality and Empowerment in China In China, the 14th Five-Year Plan provides new opportunities to prioritize gender equality. Central to the development agenda is a strengthening of science, technology and R&D sectors to address a transformation to a digital and innovative economy.  In China, women launch more than half of all new internet companies and make up more than half of inventors filing patent applications. The recently enacted Civil Code establishes new mechanisms for addressing sexual harassment and abuse in workplaces. Success stories of women specializing in STEM fields should be heralded in order to empower others to follow.  As examples, Tu Youyou was China’s first Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine in 2015, with her discovery of a malaria therapy; whilst Hu Qiheng was a leader promoting Internet access in China, being inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2013 as a global connector.  In the private sector there are stellar mentors and role-models such as billionaire Zhou Qunfei, who rose from a migrant worker to being the world’s richest self-made woman. As the CEO of Lens Technology, she built an empire manufacturing glass for tech giants such as Tesla, Apple and Samsung.  In Shenzhen, the private sector is now embracing its civic responsibilities, with companies such as Alibaba, Tencent and Huawei launching initiatives to recruit and promote women in STEM fields. Rapid Progress by the UAE The space industry is not the only sector in which Emirati women are exemplary.  According to the World Economic Forum 2021 Global Gender Gap Report, the UAE ranked first globally in four of the report’s indicators: women in parliament; sex ratio at birth; literacy rate; and enrolment in primary education.  Meanwhile, in the 2019 UNDP Human Development Report, the UAE ranks 35 of the 189 countries in the world in terms of women's empowerment. In terms of education, 77% of UAE women will continue to receive higher education after high school graduation, and 70% are graduates of higher education in the UAE. Female students now account for 46% of STEM subjects in UAE higher education.  Two thirds of the public sector positions are held by women, with 30 per cent of which are leadership positions. On 30 March the UAE National Action Plan for Women, Peace and Security was launched by H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation. This Plan is not only a step in the right direction but also spearheads the vital role of women in the UAE. For many years, Sheikha Fatima and the UAE have championed and presided over a group of specialised conferences in the Arab, international and Islamic worlds to empower women and enhance their stature. As the UAE approaches its 50th Jubilee since foundation, it is a matter of pride that the country is making outstanding achievements and launching initiatives to empower women, surging ahead in promoting gender equality and ensuring that women play a key role in the nation’s growth.  This has earned the UAE a reputation as being among the most progressive countries in the world. Global Gender Equality Initiatives In March 2021, International Women’s Day was celebrated with the UN China Country Team coming together in recognizing tremendous contributions and leadership demonstrated by women and girls around the world.  Joint campaigns such as #HERstory saw the UNDP and UN Women shared inspiring stories on social media from women leaders in STEM around the world.  A workshop was launched to combat stereotypes and encourage women and girls across China to learn and excel in science and technology.  As part of the Generation Equality global initiative led by UN Women, governments, civil society, private sectors and change-makers from around the world are coming together to fuel a powerful and lasting coalition for gender equality. It is 25 years since the UN Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action committed nations to the advancement of the rights of women. Now is the time to recommit to ensuring gender equality, especially for STEM in order to harness women’s full potential. Then women of China, the UAE and the world can hold up half of the sky, in principle and reality.