Global Civilization Initiative aligns with UNESCO's mandate: World Heritage Director

Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, highly praised China's contributions to the protection of cultural heritage both domestically and internationally, highlighting that the China-proposed Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) perfectly aligns with UNESCO's mandate and plays a significant role in promoting cooperation and dialogue for peace.

Stressing that UNESCO has long championed dialogue among civilizations, Assomo said that the GCI and UNESCO's mandate reinforce each other, noting the fruitful achievements in promoting dialogue based on mutual respect and cultural diversity.

"I had the opportunity myself recently to visit some of the World Heritage sites in China and experience that China is having with its professionals in supporting the cooperation for protection of cultural heritage is immense. So our cooperation is great and I had myself the opportunity to express it to the authorities of China because they're supporting our priority groups to capacitate them in protecting cultural heritage like in Africa or the small islands' developments. But not only that we are also working with China in a different domain, China is also providing UNESCO with financial support. So we have an excellent cooperation with China," said the director.

Assomo said that the significance of the GCI is increasingly apparent in today's turbulent global environment, marked by ongoing geopolitical tensions and rising unilateralism.

"Promoting inter-cultural dialogue is the essence of the work of UNESCO. And World Heritage sites are a perfect tool for promoting the diversity of the world and I think the Global Civilization Initiative really speaks to everyone because it aims to provide a framework for understanding the importance of all civilization of the world and this is really what we're trying to promote also at UNESCO because the mandate of culture is the mandate of cultural diversity and so we are perfectly aligned with the mandate, the messages, and the objective of this important initiative launched by President Xi Jinping," he said.

This year marks the third anniversary of the Global Civilization Initiative, which Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward on March 15, 2023.

Global Civilization Initiative aligns with UNESCO's mandate: World Heritage Director

A surge in global demand has set Yiwu's manufacturing and logistics chain running at full speed this spring, with factories and shippers all working overtime to meet orders bound for markets worldwide.

Many manufacturers in Yiwu, an eastern Chinese city known as "the world’s supermarket," reported a steady rise in orders in the first quarter of 2026.

Among them are sports goods makers racing to deliver ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North America.

"In the first two months alone, we sent about four containers of goods. Orders have gradually come in from South America and Africa, and the current orders can keep our production running through May," said Wu Xiaoming, general manager of a sports firm in Yiwu.

At Yiwu's bonded zone, customs brokers swiftly checked documents to ensure exports reach global markets fast.

"Today's shipments mainly are kitchenware, tableware and small home appliances. They are mainly bound for Germany and Spain," said Fu Jianying, a customs broker.

Yiwu has now linked 26 international rail freight routes, building a logistics network that covers more than 160 cities in about 50 countries. With smooth transport, creative design and strong manufacturing capacity, the city's cross-border trade is accelerating, underscoring its role as a hub of global small commodities.

Yiwu cross‑border trade gains speed this spring