Your excellency Mr. Zhang Zhu, Minister of Agriculture and 

Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China,  

Distinguished Ministers, 
Excellencies, 
Representatives of international organizations, 
Ladies and gentlemen, 

On behalf of UNDP, we are honoured to be one of the founding members of the Global Partnership for Poverty Alleviation and Development (GPPAD) and to participate in this first committee meeting.  

I would like to thank the Government of China, particularly the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, for advancing this important initiative and for bringing together partners from across the world around a shared commitment to sustainable development and poverty reduction. 

Today’s launch comes at a critical moment. 

UNDP’s latest Multidimensional Poverty Index1 reveals a harsh intersection of crises. 

1.1 billion people across 109 countries live in multidimensional poverty and nearly 890 million of the world’s most vulnerable continue to face the compounding burdens of poverty and severe climate hazards.  

With 75 percent of global extreme poverty still concentrated in rural areas2, it is clear that we need to find new pathways and deepen our global cooperation and action. 

While the world has made historic progress in reducing extreme poverty over recent decades, global development challenges are becoming increasingly complex and interconnected.  

Climate change, economic uncertainty, conflict, debt pressures, food insecurity, and widening inequalities continue to place significant strain on development gains, particularly in vulnerable and developing countries. 

What is clear is that poverty eradication remains one of the defining development challenges of our time — and that no country can address these challenges alone. 

What we need today is stronger international solidarity, deeper pragmatic action-oriented cooperation, and practical platforms that enable countries to learn from one another and work together toward shared solutions. 

This is why the launch of GPPAD is both timely and important. 

UNDP welcomes the GPPAD’s emphasis on dialogue, knowledge-sharing, South-South cooperation, and multi-stakeholder collaboration.  

These are essential elements for accelerating sustainable development progress and ensuring that development pathways remain inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, and address the most vulnerable -first. 

Ladies and gentlemen,  

Since 1979, UNDP is proud to have contributed to China’s exemplary efforts on poverty reduction strategies and multi-stakeholder initiaves.  

Over the years, our partnership has evolved from supporting local development initiatives to facilitating broader international exchanges and South-South cooperation. 

One important milestone in this journey was UNDP’s support for the establishment of the International Poverty Reduction Center in China two decades ago in 2005.  

Through this partnership, countries from across the Global South have engaged in mutual learning and shared practical experiences on rural development, livelihoods, agricultural modernization, digital inclusion, and sustainable development. 

Today, as we launch GPPAD, we have an opportunity to further strengthen this spirit of cooperation and further scale-up global-collective action. 

To further accelerate progress at speed and scale, financing for development must remain central to our global poverty reduction efforts while ensuring sustained community resilience remains at its core. 

Many developing countries continue to face widening SDG financing gaps at a time when investments in resilience, climate adaptation, food systems, and inclusive growth are urgently needed and declining.  

Mobilizing greater public and private investment, alongside innovation and partnership, will therefore be essential. 

Looking ahead, UNDP stands ready to continue working with the Government of China, GPPAD members, international organizations, development partners, financial institutions, civil society, and the private sector to advance inclusive and sustainable development solutions. 

In the last mile towards the 2030 deadline for achieving the SDGs, let’s strengthen cooperation and accelerate action toward a world free from poverty — where no one is left behind. 

Thank you, and I look forward to the outcomes of this meeting and the work programme ahead.