Global Development Initiative dialogue held at African Union

A promotional event for the Global Development Initiative (GDI) was held at the African Union (AU) Conference Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Oct 10. Vice-Chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) Zhao Fengtao, AU Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation  Mohammed Belhocine, Ethiopian State Minister of Labor and Skills Teshale Berecha, as well as Hanan Morsy, deputy executive secretary and chief economist at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, delivered opening remarks. Ambassador Hu Changchun, head of Mission of China to the AU, delivered closing remarks.

In his address, Zhao said that the China-proposed GDI put development back at the center of the international agenda, provided practical guidance for the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future, and injected strong impetus into the modernization of the Global South. 

Noting that Africa was the first continent to welcome and support the GDI, Zhao said China is ready to work with Africa to fully implement the GDI, strengthen strategic alignment, actively promote practical cooperation in the eight key areas, and support Africa's modernization drive. Efforts will be made to increase resources, maximize the roles of the Global Development Project Pool and the Global Development Capital Pool, actively promote "small yet smart" livelihoods projects, continue to build signature projects, and strengthen exchanges of state governance experience, he said. 

China will expand cooperation models, carry out innovative tripartite cooperation, and actively broaden resource channels in order to mobilize more forces to empower Africa's development, according to Zhao. China will also strive to unite the Global South, deepen South-South cooperation, and support other countries in exploring development paths suited to their respective national conditions, in order to achieve common prosperity, he concluded. 

In the thematic speech session, head of the CIDCA's Global Development Promotion Center Tang Ying gave a rundown on China's measures and progress in supporting the sustainable development of Africa under the GDI framework. Representatives from the AU Commission, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the United Nations Development Program, the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, and the China-Africa Development Fund introduced their practices in China-Africa cooperation under the GDI framework. All parties praised China-Africa cooperation as a model of South-South cooperation and looked forward to deepening practical cooperation with China within the GDI framework to support Africa in moving towards a sustainable and resilient future.

The event was jointly hosted by the CIDCA, the AU Commission and the Mission of China to the AU. More than 200 people attended the meeting, including representatives from UN agencies in the AU and in Ethiopia, the AU Commission, diplomatic missions to the AU, embassies in Ethiopia, and Chinese and foreign enterprises.