Siddharth Chatterjee’s Speech at CCG-UN in China symposium
November 02 , 2021
On Nov. 2nd 2021, the United Nations in China and the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) co-hosted a symposium to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the UN in Beijing.
“The UN has been a trusted development partner of China, with the first UN office in China opened back in 1979. In the four decades following that year, the role of the UN in China has shifted from that of a traditional donor to that of a partner providing technical expertise and support, both within and beyond its national boundaries, including in its activities under the framework of South-South Cooperation,” said UN Resident Coordinator Siddharth Chatterjee in his opening remarks at the symposium.
Full text of his opening remarks is as below:
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon!
I am pleased to welcome you all here in this ideal setting for this event. First, I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to the Center for China & Globalization (CCG) for partnering closely with the UN in China to co-host this afternoon’s high-level symposium. We in the UN are much indebted to CCG for its very generous support on the organization of this Symposium to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Restoration of China’s Lawful Seat in the United Nations.
2021 is genuinely a critical year for China and the World. It marks the Centenary of the Chinese Communist Party, the successful establishment of a moderately prosperous (Xiao Kang) society, and also the 50th Anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations.
For the past 50 years, we have witnessed the miraculous economic and social transformations that have taken place in the country. During this time, China has lifted over 750 million people out of absolute poverty; strengthened investment in education and public health to create a happier and healthier workforce and become the “world’s factory”; multiplied GDP per capita from $180 in 1979 to nearly $12,000 today.
The UN has been a trusted development partner of China, with the first UN office in China opened back in 1979. In the four decades following that year, the role of the UN in China has shifted from that of a traditional donor to that of a partner providing technical expertise and support, both within and beyond its national boundaries, including in its activities under the framework of South-South Cooperation.
As we celebrate the great progress achieved, we also need to focus on the big challenges ahead.
There is no doubt that humanity has entered a decisive decade for our world. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken the lives of about 5 million people and significantly disrupted the global economy. The impact of COVID-19 has an even larger impact on the vulnerable population, with as many as 150 million people brought back to extreme poverty by 2021. To realize goals set in the 2030 agenda, targeted and innovative solutions are needed for a rapid and sustainable recovery.
While the world is struggling to recover from the impact of the pandemic, another systemic crisis is imminent. The time remaining for the human being to reverse climate change is running out.
As the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted, the “red code for humanity” has struck and we need to act fast to avoid “the point of no return”.
Faced with global uncertainties, China has a number of challenges in achieving its ambitious development goals. China needs to bridge the gap between rural and urban areas, boost up the social security system to care for the vulnerable, and leave no one behind. Moreover, China needs to transition to a new development paradigm: a green, equitable and sustainable growth model that aims at achieving common prosperity for all people. We are pleased to see China is preparing to move fast to address these challenges We, in the UN, stand ready to work with the Government and people of China to realize ambitious plans such as rural revitalization and the 2060 goal of carbon neutrality.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Let us reflect on the following key questions. How will be the future collaboration between the UN and China look like? How can the UN be fit for purpose in China and deliver with greater impact in the next 50 years?
I can talk from my experience when I worked in Africa on developing partnerships between the UN, the Government of Kenya, and businesses including technology companies Huawei from China and Safaricom from Kenya as well as Merck USA, Philips from the Netherlands, GSK from the UK. We successfully reduced maternal mortality in some of the most affected counties. More recently, Huawei, the UN, and the Government of Kenya have implemented telemedicine projects which are now being scaled up nationwide, and these projects can be replicated globally.
In this Decade of Action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, the UN is more than ever well positioned to build partnerships with the private sectors and non-profit organizations to unlock cutting-edge solutions to global challenges like shared prosperity and climate change.
Today, we are honoured to have leading experts from the Chinese Government and UN Country Team in China to discuss the future of collaboration between the UN and China on precisely these two areas: inequality and climate change. Both challenges are complex and multi-faceted. The kind of intellectual exchanges that we are today promoting together with our co-host CCG, is essential to prepare us to adapt and act fast to form effective and impactful partnerships around key development issues.
In conclusion, allow me to reiterate that the UN will continue to march in lockstep with the people of China to defend multilateral cooperation and contribute to global governance. As President Xi Jinping said in the 76th UN General Assembly, “the baton of history has been passed to our generation, and we must make the right choice, a choice worthy of the people’s trust and of our times”. The UN in China is here to work with you, side by side, united for a better world.
I wish you fruitful deliberations.
Xie xie!
