LocationsOpening remarks by Ms Beate Trankmann at the Roundtable Dialogue on "The Role of Philanthropic Organizations to Accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals"
June 30, 2025
UNDP Resident Representative in China, Beate Trankmann, delivered opening remarks at the Role of Philanthropic Organizations to Accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals roundtable discussion in Beijing, China.
Dear Ms. Gargee Ghosh, President of Global Policy & Advocacy, The Gates Foundation.
尊敬的李抒音 副主任，
尊敬的各位来宾，女士们，先生们：
早上好。
我非常高兴代表联合国驻华开发计划署欢迎大家参加今天的闭门圆桌会议。
We are especially honored to have Ms. Gargee Ghosh with us today, whose leadership at the Gates Foundation has helped shape transformative partnerships in global health and development.
Since 2003, UNDP and the Gates Foundation have partnered on approx. 50 projects globally leveraging a total of $143 million in funding.
Ms. Ghosh - your presence here today underscores the Foundation’s commitment to advancing sustainable development, and we are grateful for your engagement in this dialogue.
Today’s roundtable is convened at a pivotal moment. With less than five years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we navigate an increasingly complex global environment—marked by the climate emergency, widening inequalities, and post-pandemic recovery. At the same time, development finance is increasingly strained with ODA drying up and fiscal space in many developing countries being squeezed by the combination of rising debt burdens and slowing global growth.
Against this background, broad based financing partnerships are becoming ever more critical.
At UNDP, we see philanthropy not as a gap-filler, but as a catalyst for systemic change. For every dollar received, we unlock over $60 in public and private investment, and 92 cents of every dollar goes directly to development work. This makes us a powerful multiplier for philanthropic capital.
As China strengthens its efforts to meet its dual carbon goals and reduce regional disparities, the role of domestic philanthropy in unlocking innovative and inclusive financing has never been more important.
"We see philanthropy not as a gap-filler, but as a catalyst for systemic change."
With their flexibility, community outreach, and innovative capabilities, philanthropic organisations are well-positioned to complement public and private sector initiatives.
Their contributions can help support last mile public service delivery, pilot scalable solutions, and mobilise resources, particularly for underserved populations and regions in China.
For example, UNDP is working with the China Foundation for Rural Development (CFRD) to support rural communities near the source of the Guanting Reservoir, one of Beijing’s major freshwater supplies, to tackle pollution.
And together with the China Women Development Foundation, we are helping to improve the livelihoods of women in Waipula Village in Yunnan, by promoting eco-tourism, while preserving their traditional culture.
This work would not be possible without strategic engagement from philanthropic organizations.
Indeed, in 2023, donations to Chinese social organizations reached ¥151 billion (US $20.6 billion). In addition to health and education, which absorbed slightly over 60% of contributions, almost 10% was invested in scientific research. This goes to show the growing scale and sophistication of domestic philanthropy in China.
Despite this, gaps persist. Critical priorities such as inclusive health equity, climate adaptation, and gender-based development remain underfunded in China’s philanthropy.i Directing greater resources towards these areas is essential to advancing the SDGs and building a greener and more inclusive society.
Today’s roundtable is precisely about seizing these new opportunities.
And while our focus today is mainly on domestic philanthropy, it is also important to recognize that China’s philanthropic sector is increasingly connected to global development efforts. As China expands its engagement through South-South Cooperation, philanthropic organisation have a unique opportunity to global public goods alongside public and multilateral actors.
With this in mind, we have brought together a wide-range of stakeholders from government, philanthropy, civil society, and international organizations, to exchange ideas on how to build innovative financing models that align Chinese philanthropic resources with both domestic and global sustainable development outcomes.
With that, let me thank all our participants for being here today. I greatly look forward to our discussion and your feedback and recommendations on how we can work closer together to advance the SDGs.
Let us use this opportunity to spark new partnerships, policies, and innovative solutions that can further enable China’s philanthropic sector to shape a more inclusive, sustainable future for all.
Thank you.
Related
content
content
