At the halfway point to the deadline set for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global progress has stalled. Climate change, conflicts, rising poverty and inequalities have all had far-reaching effects on both people and planet.

In response to the impacts of the multiple and interlocking crises facing the world, the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres in convening the 2023 SDG Summit on 18-19 September 2023 in New York. As the centrepiece of the High-level Week of the General Assembly, Mr. Guterres, has said that the Summit “must be a moment of unity to provide renewed impetus and accelerated actions for reaching the SDGs.”

To galvanize local momentum for the Summit and the beginning of a new phase of accelerated progress towards the SDGs, a seminar titled “Accelerating progress towards the 2030 Agenda: China’s Progress, Challenges, and Path Forward” will be co-hosted by the United Nations in China and the Centre for China and Globalization (CCG) on 14 September 2023.

This seminar seeks to provide a platform for discussions on China’s progress and challenges in achieving the SDGs and to establish a roadmap for the future. In the context of the upcoming SDG Summit, the event also seeks to identify key transformative actions and commitments that China could take that would accelerate global SDG progress.

When:

Wednesday, 14 September 2023, 15:30 (UTC+8)

LANGUAGE

English/Mandarin simultaneous interpretation

Baidu live:

https://live.baidu.com/m/media/multipage/liveshow/index.html?room_id=8603987235&source=h5pre

Agenda:

Welcome: Dr. Mabel Lu Miao, Co-founder and Secretary-General of the Center for China and Globalization (CCG)

15h30 – 15h50 Opening Session

·Dr. Henry Huiyao Wang, President, Center for China and Globalization (CCG)

·Mr. Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China

·Mr. Zhao Fengtao, Vice-Chairman, China International Development Cooperation Agency

15h50 – 16h05 Keynote Address: China’s Path towards Sustainable Development: Progress, remaining challenges and China’s role in SDG attainment abroad

·Mr. Zhou Taidong, Vice President, Center for International Knowledge on Development

16h05 – 16h50 Panel Discussion: Accelerating China’s Domestic Progress towards the 2030 Agenda: Transformative actions and a roadmap for the future

Moderator:

Zoon Ahmed, CCG Research Fellow

Participants:

·Ms. Li Xin, Deputy Director General, International Poverty Reduction Center in China

·Dr. Chai Qimin, Director of International Cooperation Department, National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation

·Ms. Amakobe Sande, Country Representative, UNICEF

·Ms. Wu Ying, Founder and CEO of Prestige and Fortune Fintech; Chief Representative of BBZ Academy, China Office

16h50 – 17h40 Panel Discussion: Accelerating Progress on the SDGs Abroad: China’s role and contributions

Moderator:

Ms. Justine Coulson, Representative, UNFPA China Office

Participants:

·H.E. Mr. Awale Ali Kullane, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Somalia to China

·Ms. Beate Trankmann, UNDP Resident Representative

·Ms. Elitza Mileva, Lead Economist, World Bank Office for China, Mongolia and Korea

·Prof. Xu Xiuli, Dean of the College of International Development and Global Agriculture, China Agricultural University

17h40 – 17h55 Q & A with media present for all speakers

17h55 – 18h00 Closing Remarks

·Mr. Henry Huiyao Wang, President, CCG