CIDCA vice-chairman attends China-Africa-UNIDO Center of Excellence secretariat meeting

On Oct 14 and 15, Zhao Fengtao, vice-chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), attended the China-Africa (Ethiopia)-UNIDO Center of Excellence secretariat meeting held in Vienna, Austria.

Ethiopia's State Minister of Industry Hassan Mohamed Moalin attended the meeting via video link. Zou Ciyong, deputy to the director general of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), also participated in the meeting.

Zhao pointed out that the China-Africa-UNIDO Center of Excellence is an important outcome of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, representing a major initiative for China, Ethiopia and UN agencies to jointly advance the implementation of the Global Development Initiative (GDI).

Zhao noted that the CIDCA is ready to work with Ethiopia's Ministry of Industry and the UNIDO to follow a planning-driven approach, improve governance mechanisms, increase the quality and effectiveness of cooperation, and enhance the promotion of the Center's deliverables, all in a bid to enable the steady and sound growth of the Center and build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era by leveraging the Center as a crucial platform.                                                                                    

Following the meeting, the three sides signed the Working Guidelines (Trial) on the Mechanism for the Management and Operation of the China-Africa-UNIDO Center of Excellence and cooperation agreements on relevant projects.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Zhao also held separate meetings with Zou and Liu Hua, deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. They exchanged in-depth views on bolstering practical trilateral and multilateral cooperation and jointly advancing the implementation of the GDI and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Relevant cooperation documents were signed following the meetings.