UN headquarters in New York City. [Photo/Agencies]

China's top ambassador to the United Nations reiterated the country's commitment to the Global Development Initiative and urged more countries to join and share "its opportunities and outcomes" during a high-level meeting of the Group of Friends of GDI at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday.

The GDI, put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2021, shows that "China has been working hard to forge international consensus on development and foster new drivers for global growth", said Fu Cong, China's new permanent representative to the UN.

Fu emphasized that China has been working closely with other group members to enhance the synergy between the GDI and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and make sure that "countries can truly benefit from the fruitful cooperation of the initiative", as he chaired the meeting.

He said the GDI has further expanded "our network of friends". More than 100 countries and international organizations, including the United Nations, "responded positively to the initiative, and the Group of Friends now comprises more than 80 countries", Fu said.

The initiative has so far achieved "fruitful outcomes", thanks to "practical cooperation" and "we have made steady progress in the institutional building", said Fu.

"The GDI comes from China, but its opportunities and outcomes belong to the whole world. China will continue to work closely with other group members and further advance the work of our group to lend fresh impetus to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda," he said.

Fu said countries that have joined the initiative "should make good use of the existing mechanism and work for greater outcomes of GDI cooperation".

"The Group of Friends is the main platform for GDI cooperation at the UN. We should give full play to the role of the group and actively promote policy communication, experience-sharing, and practical cooperation," said Fu.

We should explore various forms of cooperation with the UN Task Force, and strengthen exchanges, so as to help other countries realize the Sustainable Development Goals, he added.

Dennis Francis, UN General Assembly president, and Li Junhua, UN Undersecretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, also attended the high-level meeting.

Francis warned that the current global development deficit is serious and that progress in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals is slow.

Great potential

The goals of the GDI are consistent with the 2030 Agenda and have great potential to benefit countries around the world, he said. The vision advocated by the initiative embodies the spirit of true multilateralism and can be a catalyst for change to build a more equitable and sustainable world for all, Francis said.

Li said the UN working group has been officially launched recently, and the group will rely on the broad foundation of the GDI to promote North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation, deepen global development partnerships, and contribute to preparations for future summits.

Ambassadors from countries such as Pakistan and Laos said they advocated continuous strengthening of institutional construction, and financial and project cooperation, according to a news release by China's mission to the UN.

Ambassadors from Egypt, Thailand and others said the initiative provides valuable opportunities for developing countries to achieve prosperity and progress.

Cuba, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Zimbabwe and others said they believe the initiative adheres to the people-centered approach and charts a road map for mutual benefit, win-win results and common development for all countries.

More than 100 guests attended the meeting, including permanent representatives and deputy representatives from more than 40 countries. Additionally, officials from prominent UN bodies were in attendance.