Key Points
- PM Sharif calls GDI a platform for solidarity and South-South cooperation.
- GDI seeks to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
- Pakistan says GDI complements its national economic transformation plan.
- Pakistan pledges deeper cooperation with GDI partner countries.
- PM highlights widening SDG financing gaps facing developing countries.
NEW YORK: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan’s full support for China’s Global Development Initiative (GDI), calling for deeper international cooperation to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals as the 2030 deadline draws closer, amid widening development financing gaps, climate challenges and geopolitical tensions.
Shehbaz Sharif made the remarks while addressing a high-level meeting on the GDI hosted by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng here on Saturday.
“Pakistan reaffirms its full support for the GDI as an important platform for solidarity, South-South cooperation and the delivery of concrete results for the developing countries. The goals of GDI also complement our own national economic transformation plan. Our cooperation… pic.twitter.com/PG9GkLRCvK
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) September 26, 2026
The prime minister said Pakistan stood ready to deepen cooperation with all partners under the initiative, including by replicating successful projects on a larger scale and identifying new and innovative areas of cooperation.
The meeting comes as the international community enters the final four years of the 2030 deadline for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with global progress still falling considerably short of what is required.
GDI and 2030 goals
The prime minister said the GDI was particularly relevant at a time when developing countries were facing multiple and overlapping challenges.
Shehbaz said the GDI could provide a framework for greater international cooperation and practical development partnerships.
Pakistan, he said, reaffirmed its “full support” for the GDI as a platform for solidarity, South-South cooperation and the delivery of concrete results for developing countries.
China’s development initiative
China proposed the GDI in September 2021, when President Xi Jinping addressed the general debate of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly amid the continuing global disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The initiative is aimed at supporting the implementation of all 17 SDGs and focuses on areas including poverty reduction, food security, health, development financing, climate action, industrialisation, the digital economy and connectivity.
China has also established mechanisms to implement the initiative, including the Global Development Promotion Centre and the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund.
Pakistan-China cooperation
During his address, Shehbaz said the objectives of the GDI complemented Pakistan’s own national economic transformation plan.
He also highlighted Pakistan’s continuing cooperation with China through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
“The CPEC is now entering into its second phase,” the prime minister said.
“Five years ago, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Xi Jinping had put forward the landmark Global Development Initiative, a proposal that was far ahead of its time. Today, the wisdom of President Xi Jinping behind that decision is recognized by the world. With… pic.twitter.com/uVSWcqEFUe
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) September 26, 2026
Pakistan and China formally moved CPEC into Phase II following the 14th Joint Cooperation Committee meeting in Beijing in September 2025. The second phase places greater emphasis on industrial cooperation, agriculture, information technology, socioeconomic development and business-to-business partnerships.
The prime minister said Pakistan would continue to work closely with China and other members of the GDI’s Group of Friends.
He said Islamabad was prepared to identify new areas of cooperation and replicate successful development projects at scale as the 2030 deadline approached.
Wider global challenges
The prime minister’s remarks also echoed concerns about the increasingly difficult international environment confronting developing economies.
Shehbaz said such challenges required strengthened multilateral cooperation and collective efforts to accelerate development.
He said Pakistan had been and would remain a firm supporter of the initiatives aimed at promoting development cooperation.
The prime minister also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to working with what he described as its “Iron Brother China” and fellow members of the Group of Friends.
He said such cooperation would contribute to advancing the vision of a “community with a shared future for mankind”.
