Annual Meeting of the Joint Steering Committee of the UNSDCF

Excellency Mr. Wang Shouwen, China International Trade Representative (full minister rank) and Vice Minister of Commerce, Co-Chair of the Joint Steering Committee of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, 

Our close partners from line ministries and departments for the UN in China,

Representatives from the five Regional Groups of Member States, 

My UN colleagues, 

Good morning.

I wish to thank Vice Minister Wang for co-hosting the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Joint Steering Committee (JSC) of the UN Sustainable Development Framework 2021-2025 at the premises of the Ministry of Commerce. For the first time since the endorsement of the Cooperation Framework (CF) in 2020, we are finally able to meet in person after the difficult years of the COVID-19 pandemic and engage in face-to-face discussions on the foundation of UN-China collaboration. 

I thank Vice Minister Wang for his opening remarks, in acknowledging the achievements we jointly made over the past year and assuring that we will continue to consult and collaborate in the remaining years of the current CF cycle. 

I also express my warmest welcome to everyone, including our close partners from the Host Government and representatives from the five Regional Groups of Member States. Following the inaugural meeting with the JSC in May 2022, the UN in China and the Host Government have agreed to expand the membership of the JSC, to one Member State from each of the five regional groups, including the African States - Djibouti, the Asia-Pacific States - Cambodia, the Eastern European States - Serbia, the Latin American and Caribbean States - Brazil, and the Western European and Other States - Norway, in keeping with our joint commitment to inform, engage, consult and broaden our partnership base to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

This year’s JSC meeting presents a unique opportunity for the UN in China and our key counterparts from the Host Government to reflect on what we have achieved over the past year and guide us on the way forward, building on critical junctures such as the mid-point of the CF for China, the SDG Summit and the Climate Ambition Summit in September 2023, and the Summit of the Future scheduled in September 2024. New and existing conflicts, along with the consequences of the pandemic, have shown us the fragility of our achievements and taught us not to take peace and prosperity for granted. As we convene, discussions are currently taking place at COP 28 in Dubai, UAE, as the entire world experiences the effects of climate change that have led to increasingly frequent and tragic natural disasters. The UN Secretary-General warned that “humanity’s fate is hanging in the balance”, and we must all act now to end the climate crisis.

I recall in February 2021, when I took up my position as the UN Resident Coordinator in China, the designated representative of the UN Secretary-General. At that time, China just announced the eradication of extreme poverty. Since then, I have visited a few provinces and cities and witnessed with my own eyes the changes that have taken place across the country. Last year, China’s GDP per capita reached US $12,741. But as previously mentioned, today’s world confronts new challenges. In response, China has announced new policies this year, aiming to stimulate economic growth, promote social development and the green transition, and improve people’s livelihoods. We have also seen the resumption of regular dialogues between China and the U.S., Europe, and other countries, on agendas of global significance, such as climate change, through bilateral and multilateral channels. We welcome these positive measures and China’s efforts to enhance its engagement with the rest of the world.  

It has also been an eventful year for the UN in China. We are at the mid-point of the current CF cycle, and my colleagues will soon share an update on its implementation – all is on track, and we have worked to elevate our efforts on several fronts, including with the Host Government, Member States and other stakeholders. 

We had the great honour to welcome the UN Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General and several other high-level UN delegations to China. I was honoured to join a number of their meetings with senior Chinese leadership, including the President, Vice President, Vice Premier and ministers of our key counterpart ministries and departments. If I were asked to share the key takeaways from these engagements, I would use three words: trust, commitment, and aspiration. The world needs the UN more than ever before, and the UN needs countries like China to continue to lead by example and contribute their knowledge, expertise, and resources. 

We provided the platform for hosting and co-hosting a large number of briefings and events, for Members States and with Member States in Beijing, including with Tajikistan and the Netherlands on water, Slovenia on multilateralism, and last week with Spain and Senegal on drought. With the Host Government, including CIDCA and the Chinese Permanent Mission in New York, we held a briefing on the Global Development Initiative, where we advocated for its heightened alignment with the 2030 Agenda. We continued to push forward work under the China-Africa-UN Transformative Partnership Initiative, co-created by the UN in China, the Host Government, the African Ambassadors’ Group in Beijing and other stakeholders, including the Rockefeller Foundation and colleagues from UN Country Teams in several African countries.

Our highest priority is the establishment of the UN in China Pooled Fund for the SDGs. This is in response to the UN Secretary-General’s call to every Resident Coordinator around the world to incentivize joint programming, and raise additional resources to accelerate progress towards the Cooperation Framework. To that effect, we have engaged in internal and external consultations with our partners, including the Host Government, Member States, private sector companies, foundations and UN entities. Potential partners have expressed their interest in providing contributions to the Fund, in support of our work under the CF, in China and with China in other countries. I thank MOFCOM, CIDCA and MFA for their views and guidance on how to best channel contributions to the Fund, from the Host Government and other sources, including the private sector. I welcome first contributions from the Host Government to the Fund. A launch event will soon be organized, where you will be cordially invited to join us.

As guided by the UN Charter, the UN in China will continue efforts to convene, connect and catalyze partnerships, platforms and resources as we embark on a new phase of accelerated progress on the SDGs.

Colleagues, we gather here today to review what we have achieved, and where we can improve while outlining the path forward. I encourage you to engage in candid discussions so that we can better adapt to the dynamic context in which we operate and meet the challenges and opportunities of delivering on the CF and the 2030 Agenda.