Remarks by Mr. Ban Ki-moon at the First High-Level Conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development

Your Excellency, Mr. Wang Yi, Director of the Communist Party of China's Central Foreign Affairs Commission,

Your Excellency, Mr. Luo Zhaohui, Chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Distinguished Guests,

I thank the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) for inviting me to speak at the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development's First High-Level Conference.

I'd like to begin by congratulating Mr Wang Yi on his vital job as China's top diplomat. It is a resounding affirmation of his diplomatic abilities and leadership.

I'd also like to compliment Chairman Luo on his leadership of CIDCA, which recently marked its fifth anniversary. I paid close attention to the high-level event on the Global Development Initiative, which was co-hosted by CIDCA, the Chinese Permanent Mission in New York, and the United Nations in China on 19 April 2023, at the UN Headquarters in New York. A representation of genuine collaboration and determination to expedite efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement were endorsed by world leaders in 2015 as "the people's agenda, a plan of action for ending poverty in all its dimensions, irreversibly, everywhere, and leaving no one behind" and "a health insurance policy for the planet."

This year represents the halfway point in implementing the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. However, the world is a long way from meeting the SDGs by 2030. The COVID-19 epidemic wiped out more than four years of poverty eradication progress and has forced 93 million more people into extreme poverty.  One-quarter of the world's population today lives in conflict-torn countries. Globally, a record 100 million people have been forcibly displaced. Current national promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions amount to a nearly 14% increase by 2030, indicating that higher ambition is required to attain the 1.5 °C target. And we're in for one of the hottest summers in years.

The world's current levels of ambition and activity must be greatly increased. We require global cooperation to handle common concerns such as the existential threat of climate change, conflicts, food and energy instability. And we must shift from billions to trillions of dollars in development financing.

I commend President Xi Jinping for his leadership and initiatives, such as the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which are intended to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs at a time when we need to redouble our efforts to eliminate poverty and hunger, advance gender equality, and overcome humanity's current triple planetary crisis: climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.

Through South-South Cooperation, China's experience in lifting over 750 million people out of poverty and transitioning to a low-carbon green economy at scale and speed must be shared with other countries. I see the United Nations in China being bridge for knowledge sharing and play an important role in connecting, convening and catalyzing partnerships to have an impact at scale.

I applaud the Chinese government, particularly CIDCA, for organizing today's meeting at such a critical time. The world leaders will assemble in New York in September 2023 for the SDG Summit, as well as the Climate Ambition Summit being hosted by the UN Secretary-General Mr. António Guterres, which will be followed by COP 28 - we are halfway there, with only seven years to deliver on both the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. We must take stock and agree on a course of action that includes increased pledges, reliable and substantial development money, and unwavering political determination.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

There isn't time to waste. To achieve the SDGs by 2030, the world must come together, form alliances, develop public-private partnerships, rebuild trust, and get back on track.

I wish you the best of luck during today's Forum debates and look forward to hearing about the event's important conclusions.

Thank you very much.