China Addresses UNDP, Calls for Stronger South-South Cooperation

Strengthened South-South cooperation--that’s what China is asking the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the recently concluded 2015 Annual Session of UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board.

Chinese envoy Wang Min, the country’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the U.N., spoke in behalf of the Chinese government.

"We encourage the UNDP to give full play to its unique role in coordinating activities within the U.N. development system to strengthen support for South-South cooperation at both policy and resource levels, while lending further support to the U.N. Office for South-South Cooperation so that it could fully implement its mandate," Wang said.

Wang also raised the issue of funding in the meeting. As of late, there has been increasing concerns about the decline of core resources, which was indicated in the Annual Report of the Administrator.

"We are of the view that adequate volume and a sound mix of resources are critical to the ability of UNDP to implement the post-2015 development," he said.

In the same meeting, Wang expressed China's hopes for the UNDP to intensity its efforts in resource mobilization. China's Permanent Representative to the U.N. called on the UNDP to find innovative ways to improve management, develop new partnerships, and raise the utilization rate of funds. Increased transparency regarding the funds would also be very welcome.

Wang also urged other developed countries to continue supporting the UNDP.

"In the same breath, we also call on developed countries to increase total core contributions and improve flexibility of non-core resources, while honoring their ODA (official development assistance) commitments in earnest."

2015 is a very important year for the United Nations, as the U.N. General Assembly will convene and host a U.N. Development Summit in September. The summit's primary aim is to adopt the Post-2015 Development Agenda, which paves the way for agenda setting for future cooperation.