Speaking at a one‑day seminar on Global Governance and Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind held on 1 September 2026 at the Civil Service University, Zhao outlined how the initiatives — the Global Development Initiative (GDI) launched in September 2021, the Global Security Initiative (GSI) in April 2022, the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) in March 2023, and the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) announced in September 2025 — collectively address what he termed the “four deficits”: peace, development, security, and governance.
“These deficits fuel conflict, widen inequality, erode trust, and undermine multilateral effectiveness,” Zhao said, adding that the initiatives seek to rebalance international relations and advance fairness and justice in global affairs.
Proposed at the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly, the GDI, Zhao explained, answers fundamental questions of development for whom, by whom, and for whose benefit. Its primary aim is to accelerate implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, advocating partnerships rooted in solidarity, equality, inclusiveness, innovation, and harmony between humanity and nature.
He stressed that the four initiatives together challenge the old paradigm of “the West leads, the world follows,” offering instead a vision of shared prosperity and universal security. Building a community with a shared future for mankind, Zhao said, means striving for five missions: lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness and inclusiveness, and a clean, beautiful environment.
The seminar, organised in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy, brought together students and staff to engage with contemporary issues in international relations.
In her welcoming remarks, Ajaratou Pullo Ndow‑Njie, Head of the International Relations and Diplomacy Department at the Civil Service University, said seminars are vital for final‑year students, allowing them to connect academic knowledge with real‑world diplomacy. She described the event as another milestone in the department’s warm and mutually beneficial relationship with the Embassy.
She noted that President Xi’s Global Governance Initiative has sparked global debate, offering countries, institutions, academics and young people an opportunity to reflect on how the international community can work together to address shared challenges and promote a more inclusive system of governance.
