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UN forum supports multilateralism to tackle development challenges

  UNITED NATIONS, May 22 (Xinhua) -- All countries must support multilateral institutions, which are vital to tackling development challenges, participants of a United Nations (UN) forum said Tuesday.

  "All countries must uphold a spirit of international cooperation, support multilateral institutions and work together to tackle various challenges," said Li Chenggang, assistant minister of China's Ministry of Commerce, at the UN Economic and Social Council's Development Cooperation Forum (DCF).

  "China is committed to reform and opening its economy with a view towards pursuing high-quality economic development," he said.

  Li said that 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of China's cooperation with UN development agencies, which have accompanied China on its historic journey of reform.

  China has actively and successfully carried out triangular cooperation with the United Nations in developing countries, he added.

  While each country is primarily responsible for its own development processes, international development cooperation is a useful instrument for supporting national development policies, said Agustin Garcia-Lopez, executive director of the Mexican Agency of International Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico.

  Joao Almino, director general of the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of Brazil, agreed. He said that efforts must be made to strengthen the institutions of developing countries.

  International development cooperation does not need to have a rigid framework, but it must have "a comprehensive structure," considering the different realities that exist in developing countries, he said.

  For Germany, the issue of development cooperation is not exclusively linked to resources, but is also related to information, particularly "the sharing of knowledge to solve problems," said Uwe Gehlen with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany.

  The world is witnessing an amazing technological "leapfrog" development which has affected people all over the world, particularly those in developing countries, said Steve Hollingworth, president and CEO of the Grameen Foundation, a non-profit organization with headquarters in Washington.

  In delivering closing statements, Liu Zhenmin, UN under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs, said that the main message of the forum is that states are on the right path in terms of the 2030 Agenda.

  However, it is important to adapt at a swifter pace and move out of comfort zones, he said.

  The DCF reviews the latest trends and progress in international development cooperation and encourages coordination across diverse actors and activities.

  The forum, which operates in a two-year cycle, brings together ministers and senior experts from developing and developed countries, parliamentarians, civil society organizations, international organizations and development banks, local governments, philanthropic foundations and the private sector.