UN official stresses links between China's Belt and Road Initiative and UN's 2030 Agenda

Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said Wednesday that China's Belt and Road Initiative and the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development have similar vision and principles.

Liu Zhenmin. [File photo: un.org]

"While the Belt and Road Initiative and the 2030 Agenda are different in their nature and scope, they share in many respects a similar vision and a set of basic principles," said Liu. "Both of them serve the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Both of them aim to promote win-win cooperation, shared development and prosperity, peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, and mutual understanding and trust."

More specifically, the five priority areas as defined in the Belt and Road Initiative -- connectivity in policy, facilities, trade, finance and among peoples -- are extensively and intrinsically linked with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, Liu told a high-level symposium on the Belt and Road Initiative and 2030 Agenda.

Together, such connectivity can effectively advance achievement of the goals of the 2030 Agenda, he said.

Connectivity, including infrastructure investment, can play a crucial role in promoting productivity and sustainable economic growth. Infrastructure investment is important for eradicating poverty. Infrastructure investment is also a crucial catalyst to accelerate the achievement of gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, he said.

"Sustainable infrastructure is a cornerstone for achieving sustainable consumption and production patterns, and for combating climate change. More importantly, increased connectivity among peoples across countries and regions can promote dialogue and understanding among all civilizations, leading to a sustaining peace worldwide."

The Belt and Road Initiative has provided a new open and inclusive platform for international development cooperation, which can make a great contribution to the achievement of the SDGs, he said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has encouraged the UN system to cooperate with the countries engaged in the Belt and Road Initiative in order to achieve the SDGs, he noted.

A broad range of joint activities, including capacity development projects, have been launched to assist the countries along the Belt and Road routes, he added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping made it clear that jointly building the Belt and Road is to push forward the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, he said.

Guterres stated that the Belt and Road Initiative could become an important part of the global efforts in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, he said.

"Given the ambition of the 2030 Agenda, for a successful implementation, we need concrete cooperation actions as reflected in the Belt and Road Initiative and other international development cooperation platforms."