On December 8, the Workshop on the 5th Anniversary of the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund (UNPDF) was held via VTC. The workshop was jointly organized by the Permanent Mission of China and the United Nations Secretariat. H.E. Ambassador Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China to the UN, Ms. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, Chef de Cabinet of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, and Mr. Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs attended the workshop and delivered keynote speeches. More than 100 representatives from 40 Member States, the UN Secretariat entities and agencies attended the workshop.

Madam Viotti said that since the establishment of the Fund, it strongly supported the important initiatives of the UN in the field of peace and security, and it also supported the work of the Secretary-General. The Secretariat appreciates the contribution from the Chinese government and the support lent to the UN. The workshop today provides invaluable insights for the planning of the next chapter of this important endeavor. Mr. Liu Zhenmin said that there is a strong link between the Fund and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. With the active participation of UN agencies, a great number of developing countries benefited from the Fund. The Fund also promoted South-South cooperation, which became a successful model that connect Member States with UN system.

Representatives highly commended the accomplishments of the Fund over the past 5 years. They said that since its establishment, the Fund has been supporting the UN in responding to global peace and development challenges and in playing a leading role in maintaining international peace and security and implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It has also enriched the toolkit of UN agencies in supporting Member States and promoted the implementation of several major initiatives. The Fund has enabled Member States, especially African countries and other developing countries to obtain tangible benefits, and promoted peace and security in Africa and the sharing of development results. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN is under unprecedented challenges. They hoped the Fund could support more projects to make greater contributions to the UN in peace, security and development.

Ambassador Zhang Jun said that in the past five years, the Fund has been a strong platform for promoting multilateralism, strongly supported the UN in carrying out its mandates, contributed to peace, security and development in Africa, and promoted the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The UN is the most universal, representative and authoritative intergovernmental organization as well as the most important platform for the practice of multilateralism. The Chinese government has contributed 100 million US dollars to the Fund in the past five years, supporting 95 projects in the fields of peace and security and development and benefiting more than 100 countries and regions in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Oceania. It demonstrates tangible political determination and continuous contributions of China who defends the UN’s central role and leadership through concrete actions and results. China attaches great importance to the 2030 Agenda and has made relentless efforts in carrying out its implementation, including promoting cooperation in the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which plays an important role in promoting the implementation of the SDGs.

Ambassador Zhang Jun said that, at the general debate of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly, President Xi Jinping announced that China will continue to work as a builder of global peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of international order. President Xi also announced that the Fund will be extended for further five years after its expiration in 2025, a decision commended by all parties. The workshop is meaningful and productive. China appreciates all the advice and recommendations provided, and will work closely with the Secretariat and the partners to improve the quality and effectiveness of projects and help address challenges, in particular mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting economic recovery and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. China will relentlessly support the work of the Fund, and strengthen the UN’s central role in maintaining peace, promoting development and safeguarding multilateralism.

The Permanent Representatives of Ethiopia, Niger, Burkina Faso, the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States and the Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas made presentations as panelists. Representatives from Algeria, Cambodia, Egypt, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan and UN entities including Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), Department of Peace Operations (DPO), Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Organization for Migration (IOM), International Labour Organization (ILO), World Health Organization (WHO) attended the workshop.

At the workshop, a video by the management team of the Fund was played, demonstrating the development and achievements of the Fund. The management team also made presentations respectively on the next step of the Peace and Security Sub-Fund and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Sub-Fund. A new project, named Synthesis Report of the UN Peace and Development Trust Fund (2016-2021): Performances, Findings and Way Forward, was also launched.

The Fund was announced to be established by President Xi Jinping of China at the summit commemorating the UN’s 70th anniversary in September 2015. It is the first time for China to establish a trust fund to support the work of the UN. The Fund has served as a new platform for concrete cooperation between China and the UN.