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Ambassador Fu Cong, Excellencies, Colleagues,

It is an honour to be here to mark the fifth anniversary of the Global Development Initiative. 

The GDI has been a key instrument to revitalize progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in its eight priority areas, and I take this opportunity to commend China on GDI results and in the advancement of South-South Cooperation. It is only through such collective effort that we can deliver for our shared future.

With less than four years left till the end of the 2030 Agenda, now is a critical time to look at the progress that has been made and the work that remains ahead of us.

As you know, the financing gap for the SDGs stands at over $4 trillion per year. Developing countries are continuing to face compounded challenges – rising costs, climate impacts, extreme weather events, energy shortages and food insecurity among others.

At UNOPS, our focus is on implementation. And our experience shows how we implement is critical to turning ambitions for global development, and the 2030 Agenda, into reality. 

From addressing immediate needs to strengthening local and national systems – we are on the ground to deliver. 

In Nepal, our teams are conducting rapid assessments and helping essential aid reach affected communities in the immediate aftermath of the recent flash flood and mudslides. 

In Afghanistan, our livelihoods programme has reached 15.5 million people, expanding access to jobs and essential services. We have helped restore electricity to health facilities, schools and water systems in Yemen. We’re strengthening food systems and reducing reliance on distant supply chains in Chad by procuring fertilizer from suppliers across Africa. In Sri Lanka, we are helping digitize 30 state hospitals, helping build a central Health Data Centre, and scale up national electronic health records. And in Sierra Leone, we're helping raise renewable energy use to 85 per cent by 2030. 

Progress on 2030 Agenda has been made, but many challenges still lie ahead, with only 36 per cent of the SDGs on track or making moderate progress, and nearly half advancing too slowly to meet the 2030 deadline.

Closing the policy, finance and delivery gap requires global cooperation, renewed trust in multilateralism and improved cooperation mechanisms. That is where the GDI is paving the way. 

At UNOPS, we stand ready to do our part to deliver for people around the world and work together to build a more sustainable future for all.