China key to new UN development goals

UN Goodwill Ambassador Shakira sings at a plenary meeting of the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015 at United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, New York, September 25, 2015. A momentous sustainable development agenda, which charts a new era of sustainable development until 2030, was adopted on Friday at UN headquarters in New York. [Photo/Agencies]

On Friday, just before the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly, member states adopted a new set of Sustainable Development Goals. President Xi Jinping joined more than 150 leaders from other countries at the UN Headquarters in New York to participate in this historic moment.

For readers not familiar with the SDGs, they will include 17 goals to measure progress on a range of economic, social and environmental issues. This is an evolution of the previous Millennium Development Goals which included eight goals. The SDGs represent an ambitious new development agenda that includes objectives such as eradicating poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring that people live in a peaceful and secure world. It is about giving everybody, wherever you are born, equal opportunity to live in dignity.

The SDGs also reflect the fact that development challenges are not unique to developing countries, but apply universally, including to rich countries. Issues of equality and inclusiveness are present in most countries, and some development challenges, such as climate change, don't recognize borders. As such, the SDGs are a truly global endeavor.

The changes from the MDGs to the SDGs are welcome, and they have been extensively discussed and agreed upon by UN member states. But the comprehensive nature of the new set of goals and the interconnections between them will make their implementation much more complex. This will require sustained political commitment and linking the SDGs to national priorities.

In the past 15 years, China was very successful in achieving the MDGs not only domestically but also with its widely acknowledged contribution to attaining the goals at the global level. With this positive MDG experience, China is well positioned to contribute greatly to the successful achievement of the SDGs.

The key to a successful implementation would be for the SDGs to be adapted to national priorities and be prioritized according to each development context.