The Group of Friends of Global Governance was officially established at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
Representatives from nearly 40 founding member states of the group attended the launch meeting, which was chaired by Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations. Fu said China has promoted the establishment of the Group of Friends of Global Governance which has largely been founded on the guiding principles of the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), the fourth global initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which follows previous initiatives on development, security and civilization.
China hopes to join hands with all partners to deepen exchanges and cooperation on major global governance issues, pool collective strength, uphold the banner of multilateralism, and work together for a future of fairness, Fu said.
The Group of Friends of Global Governance is open to all UN member states, welcomes more like-minded countries on board, and encourages members to strengthen engagement and cooperation with other countries, the UN secretariat, and relevant international organizations, he said.
Representatives from participating countries praised the initiative and expressed the hope that the group would strengthen policy communication and pragmatic cooperation to inject new impetus into upholding multilateralism and reforming the global governance system.
"Cuba [welcomes] and supports the Global Governance Initiative presented by the President of the People's Republic of China, our good friend, Xi Jinping. We really believe that if we want to build a community of a shared future, we need an initiative like this," said Ernesto Soberon Guzman, Cuba's permanent representative to the UN. "A lot of problems we have now, it is difficult to do it alone. But in rethinking the global governance, through the Global Governance Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping, I am really confident that we could really change the world, create a new era and live in a new international order," said Zephyrin Maniratanga, Burundi's permanent representative to the UN.
"You would have followed this meeting that launched the group of friends, and it was very obvious from the statements that were made by the member states who have joined the group, they see this as an initiative which is very timely, because of the multiple crises that we face in the world today. And there is an eroding confidence in multilateralism and the role of the UN. This initiative, which represents the global vision, the leadership of President Xi Jinping, and it builds on the earlier initiatives of the Chinese President, we welcome it," said Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN.
Following the meeting, the Group of Friends of Global Governance issued a joint statement emphasizing that the establishment of the group is an important step in implementing the core aims of the GGI.
The statement also stressed the need to jointly safeguard the achievements of the victory in World War II, support the role of the United Nations, coordinate actions on major global governance issues, and also extended an invitation for more countries to join.
"The Group of Friends of Global Governance is an open and inclusive platform. We believe that more like-minded countries will join us. We are willing to work hand in hand with all countries to fully implement the Global Governance Initiative on the UN platform, promote the building of a more equitable and reasonable global governance system, jointly build a community with a shared future for humanity, and create a better future for all," said Fu.
Group of Friends of Global Governance established at UN headquarters
