DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- China has been providing consistent leadership in global efforts to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Guy Ryder has said.
"China is a very strong supporter of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and it has been providing consistent leadership in the global SDGs efforts and in sharing its experience with other countries," said Ryder in a recent interview with Xinhua when attending the 50th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Themed "Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World," the annual meeting is aimed at advancing the mission of creating a more cohesive and sustainable world.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda with 17 SDGs in 2015, covering mankind's endeavor to eliminate poverty, achieve zero hunger, promote gender equality, tackle climate change and deepen a global partnership for sustainable development.
"We are moving forward, but we are not moving fast enough and at the required level of ambition and scale," Ryder said, adding that the slowdown since the global financial crisis has revealed some unresolved problems. Global inequality -- both within and between countries and regions -- is a key issue, he noted.
"It is not merely a question of failing to address inequality but rather that worsening rates of inequality are themselves an obstacle to achieving sustainable growth and decent work," Ryder said.
Lauding China's consistent leadership in sustainable development, Ryder said the ILO appreciated China's poverty reduction progress and commitment to continue the fight against poverty.
"China has made impressive progress in the coverage of medical insurance," and "is the country with the highest level of investment in renewable energy in absolute terms, and it has taken dramatic actions to reduce carbon emission," he said.
Besides, China "has dedicated lots of efforts to job creation with a certain success, with the unemployment rate remaining relatedly low over the last decade," he said.
To reach the SDGs as scheduled, Ryder underlined that a higher level of international solidarity is required to "devise and finance innovative ways of tackling the problems."
