GGI aims to make global governance system better
The world stands at a crossroads. Humanity's greatest challenges — climate change, artificial intelligence, pandemics, supply chain resilience and sustainable development — transcend national borders and demand collective action. Yet, paradoxically, the system designed to foster international cooperation is under growing strain. As unilateralism, protectionism, and bloc politics return to global affairs, the rules-based multilateral order established after World War II faces one of its most significant tests.
The challenge before us is not only how to address these global problems, but whether the world can tackle them together.
Against this backdrop, China's Global Governance Initiative, proposed in 2025, and the 2026 Global Governance Forum (Xiong'an) from Oct 23 to 25, deserve serious attention. Their significance extends beyond China, prompting a broader discussion about making global governance more representative, inclusive and responsive to the needs and aspirations of the Global South, which represents the majority of the world's population.
The GGI's strength lies in its commitment to reforming the international system rather than replacing it.
Countries in the Global South often question whether today's rules-based international order is applied consistently.
While principles such as international law, free trade, and multilateralism are touted as universal, some governments perceive that their application can vary according to political influence, economic power, or strategic interests.
When rules are applied selectively, they risk losing both credibility and the trust essential to any international order.
The GGI aims to address these concerns through five core principles: sovereign equality, international rule of law, multilateralism, people-centered governance, and an action-oriented approach. Together, they offer a framework for restoring confidence in global governance.
The choice of Xiong'an in Hebei province as the venue is symbolic. More than a newly planned city, Xiong'an is China's flagship project for experimenting with future development models. Hosting the inaugural Global Governance Forum there suggests that reforming global governance should not remain an abstract diplomatic exercise but must be tested, implemented, and translated into practical action.
The forum's purpose goes beyond dialogue. It aims to bring together diverse stakeholders to discuss reform of the global governance system and build broader international consensus.
The objective is to move the GGI beyond principle and rhetoric, transforming it into an agenda that can be debated, implemented and measured. The widespread support the GGI has received across much of the Global South is no accident; it reflects a long-standing demand for a more equitable international system.
The Global South is not looking to replace one dominant power with another. It seeks a world where every nation, regardless of size or power, participates as an equal rather than as a subordinate.
For many countries in the Global South, the appeal of the GGI is not about choosing a new geopolitical center but gaining greater agency within the international system.
The initiative advocates for stronger representation and a greater voice for developing countries in the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other key global institutions.
The GGI's emphasis on "consultation and joint contribution" is particularly significant because it seeks to expand opportunities for broader participation in global governance rather than limiting decision-making to a small group of major powers.
An important feature of the GGI is its potential to complement existing Global South cooperation platforms, including BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Group of 77.
Its effectiveness will ultimately depend on its ability to align with and reinforce the priorities of these existing institutions.
Any discussion of global governance reform must begin with a fundamental question: what exactly is being reformed? The GGI's answer is straightforward. It does not call for dismantling the existing international system or replacing the United Nations.
Instead, it argues that the system should be strengthened, reformed, and made more representative while preserving the UN's central role.
The rationale is equally clear: there is no genuine substitute for the UN. It remains the world's only universal organization, bringing together 193 member states under a common Charter.
Principles such as sovereign equality, respect for international law, and the peaceful settlement of disputes continue to provide the normative foundation for international relations.
No exclusive bloc or parallel institution can replicate the legitimacy the UN has built over 80 years.
Weakening that framework risks replacing a rules-based system with one increasingly shaped by power politics, leaving smaller nations with fewer legal and institutional protections.
At the same time, reforming the UN has become an urgent necessity.
The composition of the Security Council reflects the world of 1945 more than the world of today.
As global power, population, and economic influence have shifted, representation has not kept pace.
The answer, however, is not to weaken the UN but to make it more representative, more effective, more results-oriented, and better prepared to respond to future crises.
In an increasingly fragmented world, a stronger and more representative UN can serve as an important institutional safeguard for developing countries and for the wider rules-based multilateral order.
The author is the founding director of the Belt and Road Initiative Sri Lanka.
The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
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