Excellencies, distinguished guests, colleagues, and friends,

Good morning.

On behalf of UNDP China, it is a great pleasure to join you virtually for this important gathering.

At the outset, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to DDG Shen Xiaokai of MOFCOM DITEA; DDG Ai Yinfang of CICETE; Director Dima Al-Khatib of the UN Office for South-South Cooperation; Professor Zhu Yan of the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences; and all partners for their efforts in organizing this event.

We meet at a critical juncture for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—our shared blueprint to safeguard people and planet. With less than four years remaining before the deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), progress remains deeply uneven.

According to the latest SDG Report, only 35 percent of SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress. Nearly half are moving too slowly, and, alarmingly, 18 percent are actually regressing[i].

When we look specifically at SDG 2—Zero Hunger—the numbers are sobering. According to a latest joint report by five UN agencies, around 673 million people globally faced hunger in 2024, and some 2.3 billion experienced moderate or severe food insecurity—335 million more than before the pandemic. If current trends continue, 512 million people could still face hunger in 2030[ii].

Climate shocks, economic volatility, and growing inequalities continue to put immense pressure on food systems. These challenges hit developing countries hardest, particularly Small Island Developing States, including our partners in the Pacific.

For Pacific Island Countries, climate change is not an abstract threat. It is a daily reality that endangers their ecosystems, their economies, and the very foundations of their food security. Many Pacific communities depend on subsistence agriculture and coastal resources, both of which face mounting pressure from a changing climate.

South-South Cooperation, rooted in solidarity, mutual respect, and shared development pathways, is indispensable in meeting challenges like these.

Indeed, today's dialogue on China–Pacific Island Countries Agricultural Cooperation is a valuable opportunity for countries to exchange practical, cost-effective, and scalable solutions that can deliver lasting impact for all, including women, youth, and communities across the Pacific and beyond.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the China South-South Cooperation Network and I would like to warmly congratulate CICETE and all network members on this significant milestone.

I am particularly proud that UNDP was among the founding supporters of this Network when it was first established in 1995. Over three decades, the CSSCN has grown into a vital platform for technical exchange, capacity building, and partnership, and its contributions to sustainable development across the Global South continue to grow.

Since its establishment, UNDP has always served as a connector, convenor, and catalyst for South-South Cooperation. It is, in every sense, in our DNA.

Present in over 170 countries and territories, we are positioned to connect experiences across regions, facilitate knowledge exchange, and help scale proven solutions.

Here in China, under our new Country Programme for 2026 to 2030 – closely aligned with China's 15th Five-Year Plan – we are committed to working alongside national institutions, academia, and the private sector to advance the sharing of innovative solutions in climate-smart agriculture, green technology, and sustainable development with countries across the Global South.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The challenges before us are real. But so too is our collective capacity to address them.

Through platforms like the CSSCN, let us continue to build bridges. Let us transform our shared vulnerabilities into shared resilience, ensuring that our food systems are strong enough to nourish tomorrow's generations.

Together, we can forge a more inclusive, green, and sustainable future for everyone, everywhere, leaving no country, no island, and no one behind.

I wish you a highly productive and inspiring meeting.

Thank you very much.

[i] The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025. UN Statistics Division. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2025/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2025.pdf

[ii] FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. 2025. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025: Addressing High Food Price Inflation for Food Security and Nutrition. Rome, FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd6008en