China stresses importance of effective implementation of Sustainable Development Goals

UNITED NATIONS -- A senior Chinese diplomat on Thursday underlined the importance of effective implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, and efforts should be made to raise the voice of developing countries in the field of global governance.

Li Baodong, China's vice foreign minister, made the statement as he was taking the floor at a high-level event of the UN General Assembly to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development. The event took place on the sidelines of the high-level debate of the 71st session of the 193-member General Assembly.

Li said that in order to promote better development across the world, efforts should be made to ensure development in peace and stability and to respect all countries' choice of development path.

It is very important to promote innovative and inclusive development, he said, adding that efforts should be also made to raise the voice of developing countries in the global governance.

Thanks to painstaking efforts, China succeeded in feeding its 1.3 billion people, providing job opportunities to 770 million people, he said, adding that nobody was left behind in the nation's nine-year program of compulsory education.

China is very active in helping other countries in their development efforts while working very hard to promote its own advancement, he said.

The United Nations established the right to development as an inalienable human right in 1986. The declaration seeks to ensure people's right to personal and financial improvement and progress.

The Right to Development is based on human dignity and implies the right to self-determination and full sovereignty over wealth and natural resources.