NAIROBI, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The China-proposed Global Development Initiative (GDI) and Global Governance Initiative (GGI) have the potential to reshape multilateralism and foster people-centered growth, equality, peace and stability, a seminar held in Kenya's resort town of Naivasha heard on Thursday.
The seminar, co-organized by Kenya's Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, with the Africa Policy Institute (API), a pan-African think tank, as implementing partner, brought together senior officials, diplomats, scholars, industry executives and representatives of UN agencies.
Themed "Jointly Advance Global Development and Governance: China and Kenya Usher in a New Chapter of a Shared Future", the seminar assessed the impact of the two initiatives on the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals and on global governance cooperation.
Abraham Korir Sing'Oei, principal secretary of the State Department for Foreign Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, said Kenya and China share common views on global governance.
In a speech read on his behalf by Jane Makori, deputy director general of the Asia and the Pacific Directorate in the ministry, Sing'Oei said Kenya joined the Belt and Road Initiative, the GDI, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the GGI. He said relations between the two countries are based on mutual respect, trust and the principles of South-South cooperation.
Under the GDI, China has supported Kenya in implementing priority national development projects in sectors including health, education, finance, tourism, culture and trade, Sing'Oei said.
Participants discussed how the GDI, five years after it was proposed by China, has contributed to a more equitable, prosperous and greener world. They also examined the impact of the GGI, which China proposed in September 2025 to help build a more just and equitable global governance system.
Guo Haiyan, Chinese ambassador to Kenya, said the four global initiatives on development, security, civilization and governance complement one another, promoting prosperity through development, safeguarding stability through security, enhancing mutual trust through civilizational exchanges, and pursuing justice through governance.
Amid a volatile international situation, China is ready to work with Kenya and other African countries, as well as international organizations and think tanks in Africa, to advance global development and improve global governance, Guo said.
She noted that September marks the fifth anniversary of the GDI and the first anniversary of the GGI. More than 130 countries and international organizations have expressed support for and participated in GDI cooperation, and the Group of Friends of the GDI has grown to 88 countries, including Kenya, the Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda, she said.
The GGI has been welcomed and supported by nearly 160 countries and international organizations, and more than 60 countries have joined the Group of Friends for Global Governance, the envoy added.
In July, China and 28 countries, including Kenya, the Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Tanzania, jointly initiated the establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, Guo said.
"This is a major step taken by China to respond to the call of the Global South and actively advance the development and governance of artificial intelligence," she said.
According to API, both the GDI and GGI are global public goods critical to realizing the UN 2030 Agenda and to ensuring a functioning and inclusive multilateral order that reflects the aspirations of people worldwide. The think tank stressed that the two initiatives should serve as a platform for deeper cooperation among China, African countries and multilateral institutions to achieve long-term development and stable governance.
Erastus Mwencha, former deputy chairperson of the African Union Commission, said multilateralism, which has underpinned decades of shared growth since the end of World War II, is under strain from trade wars, supply chain disruptions and protectionism.
Mwencha described the GDI and GGI as "practical correctives anchored firmly in multilateralism."
"GDI asks us to put people, not geopolitics, at the center of the development agenda," he said, adding that the GGI "asks the international community to recommit to sovereign equality and the rule of law in global affairs, rather than power alone dictating outcomes."
Shaheen Nilofer, UNICEF representative to Kenya, said cooperation with China has advanced maternal and child health in the East African nation, citing a program launched with 3 million U.S. dollars from the China International Development Cooperation Agency and 1 million dollars from UNICEF.
Guo said that since the beginning of this year, UNICEF and the UN Industrial Development Organization have been approved to use the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund to implement projects in Kenya that promote the health and well-being of women and children and support the development of agro-industrial parks. ■