•China attaches great importance to addressing climate change and maintains that countries should work in concert within multilateral frameworks to tackle this pressing global challenge.
•Proposal explains why we should strengthen the core role of the UN and advance the reform of the global governance system.
Image: Xinhua
This year marks the 10th anniversary of President Xi Jinping's proposal on building a community with a shared future for mankind. Facing global changes unseen in a century, and keeping in mind both China's realities and global developments, on September 13 the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a proposal on the Reform and Development of Global Governance. This proposal also acts as a paper on China’s position during the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly to be held in New York this week. The following is an abridged version of the country’s treatise.
The proposal calls for enhancing global security governance and safeguarding world peace and stability. Security is humanity's most basic need, and the most important global public good. Xi has put forward the Global Security Initiative and advocates a commitment to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security; a commitment to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries; and to abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
It also calls for a commitment to taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously; to peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation; and a commitment to maintaining security in both traditional and non-traditional domains, with a view to jointly promoting a global community of security for all.
The proposal says that we need to improve global development governance and jointly pursue global sustainable development. Xi has proposed the Global Development Initiative and called on the international community to strengthen unity and mutual trust, put development first, and address challenges together, thus boosting efforts to bring the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development back on track.
Food security is essential for human survival. It is an important part of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. China supports UN agencies in leveraging their professional expertise and coordinating role to mobilise scaled up assistance from the international community, developed countries in particular, and to meet the pressing needs of people in relevant countries.
China supports the pursuit of green and low-carbon development. In the course of a just energy transition, the different national realities and capabilities of countries should be fully respected, and traditional energy should be phased out on the basis of ensuring safe and reliable alternative energy sources.
China attaches great importance to addressing climate change and maintains that countries should work in concert within multilateral frameworks to tackle this pressing global challenge. It is important to stick to the objectives, principles and institutional arrangements outlined in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement, especially the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
We should advance global human rights and social governance and jointly promote civilizational exchange and progress. Equal-footed exchange and mutual learning between different civilizations will provide robust spiritual guidance for humanity in resolving the challenges of our times and realising common development. We need to respect the diversity of civilizations, uphold the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilizations, and let cultural exchange transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcend clashes, and coexistence transcend feelings of superiority.
Education is an important force for the progress of human civilization. China stands ready to work with countries around the world for more educational exchange, enhance openness in education and actively support other developing countries in advancing education. It calls on all countries to step up input in education and enhance its equity, inclusiveness and safety.
Countries need to seize the historic opportunity of the new round of scientific, technological and industrial revolution, accelerate translating scientific and technological advances into productivity, uncover new drivers of growth in the post-COVID era, and work together to leapfrog progress in development.
We should strengthen the core role of the UN and advance the reform of the global governance system. In the Declaration on the Commemoration of the Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the UN, the countries committed to strengthen global governance for the common future of present and coming generations. The Summit of the Future in 2024 presents an opportunity for us to, with a sense of responsibility to succeeding generations, cement solidarity and cooperation.
China supports necessary and equitable reform of the UN Security Council to boost its authority and efficiency, enhance its capacity to tackle global challenges, and let it better fulfill its mandate as prescribed in the UN Charter. The Security Council should not become a club of the big countries or rich countries. Its reform should credibly increase the representation and voice of developing countries, redress the historical injustices done to Africa, and give more developing countries the opportunity to participate in its decision-making.
Faced with global challenges that are increasingly serious and complex, countries around the world must assume the shared task of working to strengthen and improve the global governance system. China will work together with the rest of the international community to uphold true multilateralism and implement the GDI, the GSI and the GCI. Together, we will create a better future for humanity.
Stephen Ndegwa is the Executive Director of South-South Dialogues, a Nairobi-based communications development think tank.