BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Five years ago today, the Global Development Initiative (GDI) was put forward, and it has yielded fruitful outcomes in implementation over the past five years, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday.
Guo said at a regular news briefing the GDI has turned from a Chinese proposal into a global consensus, with the people-centered development philosophy enjoying increasing popularity.
Guo stated that through concrete actions, the GDI has played an enhanced role in advancing global development, mobilizing over 23 billion U.S. dollars and delivering more than 2,000 cooperation projects under the initiative's framework. In particular, practical cooperation under the framework of the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund has yielded fruitful outcomes in more than 70 countries, benefiting more than 40 million people, he added.
Guo added that the GDI has developed better cooperation architecture across various sectors, laying the groundwork for advancing international development cooperation as well as realizing the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals.
Guo stated that the general debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly starts on Tuesday. On the sidelines of the general debate, China will host a high-level dialogue on the fifth anniversary of the GDI at the UN headquarters in New York on September 25. "We look forward to working with the broader UN membership to take stock of the achievements and useful experiences over the past five years, share development opportunities, explore cooperation on development, facilitate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and build a community with a shared future for humanity," he said. ■
