The Global Development Initiative and opportunities for South-South cooperation

By Michael Anthony
There is an African proverb that says, “When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.” It is a timeless reminder that collective action often succeeds where individual effort fails. In an age defined by climate change, economic uncertainty, technological disruption and widening inequality, that proverb may well capture the spirit behind China’s Global Development Initiative (GDI).
Five years ago, at a time when the world was struggling to recover from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and confidence in international cooperation was steadily declining, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the GDI at the 76th Session of the United Nations General Ass...