Global south countries strong promoters of multipolar development: scholar

Global South countries are strong promoters and defenders of world peace and will play a crucial role in establishing a stable and multipolar world, said Anna Rosario Malindog-Uy, vice president of the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute in Beijing on Wednesday.

As a guest of the Global South Think Tanks Forum, she stressed South-South cooperation is emerging as a new model of cooperation among developing countries and emerging economies in the global majority.

"I think what is important at the moment is, even though there is no such thing as an organization of Global South countries, but you have already existing organization that actually represents the global majority or the Global South. And you have the BRICS. The BRICS countries are part of the Global South. It is a loose organization, but it represents, it amplifies the voice of the Global South, and it advocates security issues. And one thing that we have to remember, when you talk about the Global South, there is already an emerging concept right now, what you call South-South cooperation and development. In that South-South cooperation and development, you can see that countries in the Global South are partners in development," said Malindog-Uy.

"We are now seeing the emergence of what you call a multi-polar world. It is not a world dominated by the West, but the Global South is playing an important role in global governance and dynamics, especially in economics and development. I think this is a very good development. It is something to do with security, but it is non-traditional security," she continued.

The Global South Think Tanks Forum, held in Beijing on Wednesday with both online and offline formats, highlighted the voices and perspectives of the Global South and aimed to foster dialogue for a more secure and prosperous future.

The event, organized by the International Department of the CPC Central Committee and the China Media Group, attracted participation from political figures, government representatives, analysts, scholars, and journalists from 76 countries and regions worldwide.

Global south countries strong promoters of multipolar development: scholar

Global south countries strong promoters of multipolar development: scholar

A China Pavilion officially opened on Monday at the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, highlighting China's decades-long efforts and achievements in combating desertification.

Covering more than 600 square meters, the China Pavilion is the second-largest national pavilion at the event. Its exhibition, themed "Cross-Century Green Great Wall, China's Restoration in Action," showcases the nation's battle against desertification, particularly through the Three-North Shelter Forest Program, a major national initiative aimed at reversing land desertification in its north, northwest and northeast regions by surrounding desert lands with trees and vegetation.

Addressing the opening ceremony, UNCCD Deputy Executive Secretary Andrea Meza Murillo praised China's significant contributions to curbing its desertification, including controlling the expansion of the Taklimakan Desert in west China, the world's second-largest shifting sand desert.

She emphasized that effective policies, community and local government involvement, as well as innovation and technology, are key components of China's success.

"The example of what the government of China is doing in restoring land, in combating desertification, means a lot to humanity. It is inspiring and remarkable to see that China has already achieved land degradation neutrality ahead of time by restoring 50 percent of curable degraded sandy land. This is amazing. It's clear that we need good leadership, good policies, engagement of the society, engagement of national governments. It's really good to see this engagement, and of course, innovation is technology, it's traditional knowledge, and this is what we are seeing in the China experience," said Murillo.

COP16, held from Dec. 2 to 13 under the theme "Our Land. Our Future," is the largest UN land-focused conference to date and the first UNCCD COP in the Middle East and North Africa.

China Pavilion opens at UN conference on desertification held in Riyadh