Almot Maqolo, Staff Writer 
THE Global Development Initiative (GDI) marked its fifth anniversary as China, the United Nations and developing countries pledged stronger cooperation and innovation to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) amid growing global challenges.
Speaking at a high-level meeting in Beijing marking the anniversary, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the initiative had evolved from a Chinese proposal into an international platform for development cooperation.
More than 130 countries and international organisations have supported its implementation.
“This year, the GDI proposed by President Xi Jinping turns five. This high-level meeting jointly held by China and UN agencies is thus of special significance,” Wang said.
“Five years ago, facing the question of our times as to where the cause of global development is headed, President Xi Jinping solemnly put forward the GDI at the General Debate of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly, providing China’s insight and contribution to reinvigorating global development,” he said.
Wang said the initiative had moved “from a Chinese proposal into a global consensus” and from “a vision that complements the SDGs into concrete practises”, receiving broad international participation.
He highlighted the expansion of GDI cooperation mechanisms, saying the initiative had helped mobilise development resources and deliver projects across the Global South.
“To date, more than 130 countries and international organisations have expressed support for the GDI and participated in its cooperation, and nearly 100 countries and international and regional organisations have signed GDI cooperation documents with China,” Wang said.
He added that more than US$23 billion had been mobilised through development funds and other initiatives supporting more than 1,800 livelihood projects and training over 200 000 professionals.
“From Juncao, which contributes to global poverty reduction, to the Sustainable Development Science Satellite 1, which enables synchronised data sharing and to the MAZU platform, which helps global South countries strengthen meteorological warning and disaster prevention and mitigation, the outcomes of the GDI have brought tangible benefits to the people in more than 120 countries,” Wang said.
Wang said the initiative had gained importance as global development efforts faced setbacks, with the UN 2030 Agenda falling behind schedule and inequalities increasing.
“The world today is volatile and turbulent. The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is seriously delayed. The North-South gap keeps widening, and global development as a cause faces grave challenges,” he said.
He called for stronger international cooperation, greater development financing and wider access to technology.
“We should put development first, firmly at the centre of the international agenda, and continuously scale up input,” Wang said, adding that China would continue to provide development resources, including financing and technologies, to support other developing countries.
On artificial intelligence and digital development, Wang said countries should work together to narrow technological divides.
“We should champion openness and cooperation in a strong push to eliminate the digital and AI divides between the North and the South,” he said.
He also urged reforms to global governance structures and financial systems, saying developed countries should fulfil their development financing commitments.
“As the UN gets ready to consider the post-2030 agenda in September 2027, we should make good policy preparations and better communicate and coordinate with one another to shape a new development agenda that better reflects the needs of the Global South,” Wang said.
The United Nations said the GDI had helped support development projects in dozens of countries, but warned that significant financing gaps remained.
Earle Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet to UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the initiative had emerged at a time of overlapping global crises, including the Covid-19 pandemic, rising inequality, conflicts, debt pressures and climate challenges.
“The GDI helped reinforce the importance of sustaining momentum on sustainable development,” he said.
He said the initiative had supported projects in more than 60 countries, benefiting millions of people.
“Behind these figures are school meals that maintain children in the classroom, fiber optic networks that connect communities to digital services, and early warning systems that give families time, time to reach safety when natural disasters strike.”
Rattray said China’s development experience had provided lessons for other developing countries, noting its role in reducing extreme poverty and expanding infrastructure, education and technology.
“China is well-placed to share its approach with developing countries whose development prospects have stalled,” he said.
However, he warned that the international community faced a major funding challenge.
“The task now is not to invent. It is to scale up and secure the resources to pay for it,” Rattray said.
He added that the annual financing gap for achieving the SDGs exceeded US$4 trillion and called for reforms to international financial systems, increased development assistance and greater support for developing nations.
Kenya’s Ambassador to China Willy Kipkorir Bett said the initiative had helped restore development as a central priority of international cooperation.
“GDI has brought a new hope to developing countries by promoting cooperation instead of confrontation, partnership instead of division, and shared prosperity instead of unnecessary competition,” he said.
He described the GDI as an important global public good that supported countries in implementing the UN 2030 Agenda.
“Today, GDI has become an important global public good, supporting countries in accelerating implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, while reinforcing confidence that multilateral cooperation remains the most effective pathway towards sustainable development,” Bett said.
Bett stressed that Kenya supported stronger partnerships based on investment, innovation and trade rather than traditional aid models.
“Africa should be recognised not as a beneficiary of development, but as an active partner and contributor to global prosperity,” he said.
The ambassador also welcomed cooperation on artificial intelligence and digital transformation, saying Kenya looked forward to working with China and other partners to harness emerging technologies for development.
“Lasting development cannot be achieved through isolation or unilateral action, but through genuine partnership, solidarity, and shared responsibility,” he added.
As the GDI enters its next phase, participants called for continued cooperation to address development challenges and translate commitments into practical outcomes.
