The China proposed-Belt and Road Initiative's (BRI) focus on infrastructure around the world aligns with the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, according to UN Under-Secretary-General Jorge Moreira da Silva.
In an exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV) aired on Friday, Da Silva, also director of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), highlighted the BRI's focus on infrastructure when talking about the initiative's alignment with the UN's development goals, underlining infrastructure's importance with two numbers.
"Ninety-two percent - 92 percent of the sustainable development goals depend on infrastructure, which means that if we don't get the right infrastructure on water, sanitation, energy, transportation, we will not succeed on the 2030 agenda. The same on climate - 82 percent of today's greenhouse gas emissions are related with infrastructure. So putting infrastructure at the center of development makes sense," he said.
UNOPS looks forward to deepening its partnership with China on infrastructure, according to the director.
"So the Belt and Road Initiative is focused on infrastructure. And that's why I think that the partnership between an agency like UNOPS, that is an agency of engineers on the ground doing infrastructure, and the partnership between China and developing countries on infrastructure, is a fruitful partnership that I am sure that will be pursued even further in the future," said Da Silva.
BRI's focus on infrastructure aligns with 2030 agenda: UN official
