19 July 2016: China has submitted an executive summary of its Voluntary National Review (VNRs) report for presentation at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). The document summarizes China’s actions on implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and highlights nine key areas for prioritization.
China is one of 22 UN Member States who volunteered to participate in the VNRs at the 2016 HLPF, the first time they are taking place as part of the follow-up and review to the 2030 Agenda. The executive summaries and other documents from volunteering countries are available on the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ (DESA) platform for inputs.
In its submission, China recognizes implementing the 2030 Agenda as “a systemic project” that will require capacity building, institution building, increased resource investment, an enabling environment for development and multi-stakeholder engagement, among other actions. To implement the 2030 Agenda in 2016, China has: linked its domestic mid- and long-term development strategies to the 2030 Agenda; publicized the Agenda nation-wide to raise awareness, create a favorable social environment for implementation and mobilize domestic resources; and strengthened inter-sector policy coordination. China also plans to issue a national plan of implementation in 2016, the document notes.
China suggests nine key areas for prioritization in the 2030 Agenda: eradicating poverty and hunger through targeted measures, including to enhance agricultural production capacities and food security; implementing innovation-driven development strategies and generating momentum for sustainable, healthy and stable economic growth; advancing industrialization to coordinate development between urban and rural areas, and among the three dimensions of sustainable development; improving social security and social services to ensure equal access to basic public services; safeguarding social equity and social justice to improve people’s well-being and promoting human development; protecting the environment and building protective barriers for eco-security; addressing climate change and integrating climate change response into national development strategies; promoting efficient utilization of resources and sustainable energy; and improving national governance and ensuring economic and social development in line with the rule of law.
As the Group of 20 (G20) President, China says it has put development issues at the heart of the G20 agenda, and it lists “inclusive and interconnected development” as one of four key agenda items, according to its input. It informs that the G20 has drafted a collective action plan on the 2030 Agenda, which is expected to “inject political impetus into the global implementation progress on the 2030 Agenda.”
China’s Executive Summary further addresses: China’s development priorities; common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) and other key principles; means of implementation (MOI) and support; and China’s role in global development cooperation and South-South cooperation.
HLPF convenes from 11-20 July 2016, at UN Headquarters in New York, US. [China Input] [IISD RS Coverage of HLPF] [IISD RS Stories on VNRs]