At this moment of economic uncertainty, of geopolitical tensions, of growing pressure from climate change, any opportunity for dialogue, for cooperation and for exchange is more important than ever.
Because the central question that we are trying to address here today is a very simple one, but a crucially important one: how can trade contribute to more prosperity? How can trade contribute to sustainable development?
At the United Nations Development Programme, we see development as the foundation for stability and for prosperity.
It defines whether people can earn a decent living, whether women and girls can enjoy equal opportunities, whether communities can withstand shocks, whether countries have the capacity to shape their own futures. And for us, it is very clear that trade can be an incredibly powerful accelerator to achieve those outcomes.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development specifically recognizes trade as an engine for inclusive growth, trade as a means for poverty reduction, and as a very powerful tool for advancing sustainable solutions.
And obviously, access to international markets is the first element.
China's remarkable development story is a very powerful example. And China's expanded duty-free market access for least developed countries, and specifically for African partners, offers incredible opportunities for developing economies.
But access to markets is only the beginning. The real task, the larger task, is to build the productive capacity that can make use of that market access.
Development gains are greatest in countries that can create more at home, strengthen domestic industries, and generate skills and employment that are ready for future generations.
And for that, economic transformation is really at the core. And China is a great example of how economic transformation leads to more growth and more prosperity.
It leads to investment in infrastructure and in skills, it leads to technology transfer, it leads to access to finance, and it leads to stronger institutions. All those elements matter in development.
This is how you make businesses grow, this is how you diversify economies, and this is how we build resilience to external shocks.
One challenge is a particularly important one. In the next 15 years, 1.2 billion young people worldwide are going to enter the labor market.
They are 1.2 billion young people of a generation whom we have told: if you work hard, if you earn a degree, you will have a job.
That generation needs more than just trade and the promise of economic growth.
They need real opportunities that not only provide income, but also provide dignity, security and a real hope for the future.
At the same time, we need to make sure that economic growth is sustainable: that growth is not at the expense of the environment, but that it supports environmental sustainability.
Technological leadership in green technologies is important as an environmental imperative, but it is very clear today that it is also crucial from an economic perspective.
And this is why an event such as the China International Import Expo is such an important event, because its value is not only in the opening of the Chinese market. Its value is broader than that. Its value is in showing the world what happens when an opportunity at such scale is created.
Its value lies in creating commercial relationships that strengthen countries' capacity to compete and prosper.
For developing countries, such partnerships should reflect their own priorities. They should strengthen their own capability to compete and to prosper.
The UNDP is a partner in creating that bridge between opportunity and results.
We realize that by standing at the side of governments in creating policies that help countries to become investable, attractive to domestic and foreign investors; by working together with governments in creating policies that create the circumstances for the millions of jobs that we will need in the decades to come.
The success of trade will not only be measured by the volumes of trade being realized. The success of trade will also be measured by other indicators.
It will be measured by whether trade creates local jobs that create prosperity, or whether it is just trade that is purely extractive.
The success of trade will be measured by whether it contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, or whether it continues to invest in the technology of the past.
The success of trade will be measured by whether it creates real opportunities for women and girls, or whether it perpetuates the gender gap that exists today.
The success of trade will be measured by whether it creates real livelihoods, or whether it continues the extreme poverty that we see throughout the world.
The success of trade will be measured by whether it creates a real opportunity for the young generation, a real perspective, or whether we are just continuing to give speeches to the young generation to tell them that they should be optimistic.
Are we giving them a real opportunity? Or are we only getting stuck in speeches?
This is what is at stake. This is the opportunity that we have here at hand. Are we going to make sure that trade is a real engine of progress and prosperity?
This is the real endeavor that we have here.
The author is the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. The article is adapted from a speech he delivered at the China International Import Expo (CIIE).
The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
If you have a specific expertise, or would like to share your thought about our stories, then send us your writings at opinion@chinadaily.com.cn, and comment@chinadaily.com.cn.
