Second Belt and Road Forum Results.

Heads of State and UN leaders agreed on a joint communiqué and more than 283 deliverables for the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF). United Nations agencies and others have announced joint projects and memoranda of understanding for inclusive and sustainable development during the forum.

Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the forum with an introductory speech. He identified infrastructure as “the cornerstone of connectivity and a development bottleneck facing many countries,” noting that infrastructure construction can help countries better integrate into the industry. , global supply and value chains. Xi emphasized that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an opportunity to build affordable, high quality, inclusive, resilient and sustainable infrastructure. [BRF press release on the Chinese President’s key address]

In his remarks at the opening of the forum, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed two main concerns. First of all, he said, according to current trends, the world will be “only halfway to achieving the goals of sustainable development” by 2030, and the financial resources available to developing countries are not enough. Secondly, he warned, climate change “poses an existential risk for all countries”, undermines inclusive and sustainable development plans and threatens decades of progress. Guterres urged leaders to go to his Climate Action Summit in September 2019 with “credible and ambitious plans”. He called for three key actions: ensuring that the BIS accelerates its efforts to achieve the SDGs; use the BIS to fill significant funding gaps to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly for investments in inclusive, sustainable and sustainable infrastructure in developing countries; and expand policy options for green and sustainable development based on green financing instruments. [Opening statement by the UN Secretary-General]

In his address to the “Round Table of Leaders of the Second Forum for International Cooperation, Belt and Road”, the Secretary-General echoed the emphasis on green and sustainable development and his call for ambitious action in favor of climate. He urged leaders to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, end fossil fuel subsidies, refrain from building new coal plants beyond 2020, and transform the world. with inclusive and sustainable growth “fully compatible with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change”. the SDGs. “

Leaders from 40 countries and international organizations participated in the leaders’ roundtable chaired by Xi. The roundtable endorsed a joint communiqué reaffirming the essential role of enhanced multilateralism in addressing global challenges and recognizing that an “open, inclusive, interconnected, sustainable and people-centered global economy can contribute to prosperity for all” . The communiqué reaffirms the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and looks forward to “restoring and rejuvenating” the spirit of the ancient Silk Road and enhancing connectivity and cooperation on the basis of “extensive consultations, shared efforts, shared and mutual benefits “. Leaders stress their support for the partnership on transparency, openness and inclusiveness, and a universal, rules-based, transparent, open and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) “in heart of its priorities.

In the area of ​​the environment and the green economy, the Joint Communiqué stresses the importance of meeting the challenges of climate change and environmental protection, in particular by strengthening cooperation for the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Leaders stress the importance of promoting green development and express their commitment to “promoting sustainability in all its forms”. They also support the development of a sustainable blue economy and call for the intensification of international maritime cooperation while sustainably managing marine and coastal ecosystems. The Joint Communiqué also encourages, inter alia: the development of green finance, including green bonds and green technologies; enhanced cooperation on circular economy, environmental protection and integrated water resources management (IWRM); increased protection cooperation.

Source: SDG Knowledge Hub.