CHINESE Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday called for the reform and improvement of global governance while attending a meeting of the Group of Friends of Global Governance (GFGG) at UN headquarters in New York.

Mr Wang insisted that reforming and improving global governance “is a historic mission for this generation” and that such a task demands “strong conviction and unremitting efforts.”

The foreign minister called for greater efforts to advance UN reform to make the world body “more efficient and the security council more authoritative and capable.”

Mr Wang said: “The purpose of UN reform is to enhance the world body, not weaken it, and that UN reform should be led by member states and carried out in a fair, inclusive and transparent manner.”

Mr Wang said China supported “enhancing the voice of developing countries and small and medium-sized countries, particularly by addressing the historical injustice faced by Africa.”

He also called for efforts to adapt UN peacekeeping operations to the demands of the times, build international consensus on accelerating development, steer global human rights governance in the right direction and deepen reform of the economic and financial system.

“The GFGG has served as a stabilising factor and a force for justice in a turbulent world, and this mechanism should be further leveraged and strengthened.

“China will continue to uphold the banner of multilateralism and contribute to global governance through its own governance experience,” he said.

Mr Wang said the GFGG has reached consensus on five key points regarding global governance.

First, all members of the group support the democratisation of international relations, regardless of size, strength or wealth.

Second, all group members call for upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the equal application of international law and international rules, and opposing double standards and coercion.

Third, all members support safeguarding the central role of the UN, practicing multilateralism, strengthening multilateral mechanisms, and opposing unilateralism and power politics.

Fourth, GFGG members support reforming and improving global governance and narrowing the North-South divide to ensure that all countries share the benefits of development and that no country is left behind.

Finally, Mr Wang told the UN, all members of the group are also calling for addressing the most pressing challenges facing the international community “through concrete actions and practical results to ensure global governance meets the needs of the times and the people.”