Roundup: World leaders show supports for UN Sustainable Development Goals

Leaders of various nations have voiced supports and commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations (UN) for the next 15 years.

The 193 UN member countries on Friday adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals ranging from eradication of poverty through gender equality to sustainable development where no one is left behind. They are meant to supplant and build on the Millennium Development Goals expiring this year.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: "The true test of commitment to Agenda 2030 will be implementation. We need action from everyone, everywhere. Seventeen Sustainable Development Goals are our guide. They are a to-do list for people and planet, and a blueprint for success. To achieve these new global goals, we will need your high-level political commitment. We will need a renewed global partnership."

"The post-2015 development agenda adopted by this summit draws up a new blueprint for global development and provides international development cooperation with fresh opportunities," said Chinese President Xi Jinping. "We should take it as a new starting point to work out a course of equitable, open, all-round and innovation-driven development in the interest of common development of all countries."

Xi announced here on Saturday that China will provide 2 billion U.S. dollars to support South-South cooperation, and called for an equitable development path for all countries.

China will set up a fund, with initial contribution of 2 billion dollars, to support South-South cooperation and assist developing countries in implementing their post-2015 development agenda, Xi told the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit at the UN headquarters in New York.

Xi said China will also do its best to raise its investment in the least developed countries to 12 billion dollars by 2030.

On the U.S. side, President Barack Obama also committed the United States to the new development goals.

"We reaffirm that supporting development is not charity but is instead one of the smartest investments we can make in our own future," he said.

"I profoundly believe that many of the conflicts, the refugee crises, the military interventions over the years, might have been avoided if nations had truly invested in their people and the wealthiest nations on the earth were better partners in working with those that are trying to lift themselves up," the president said.

Obama added, "One of the best indicators of how a country will succeed is how it treats its women," saying "All of our nations must invest in the education, health and skills of our women and girls."

The spirit of cooperation was also highlighted by other leaders.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said: "In giving effect to the new agenda, we can share lessons from our own experience. Through our development program, we are working with partners to promote prosperity and reduce poverty on a sustainable basis in the Indo-Pacific."

Polish President Andrzej Duda said: "Let us help those countries which are in need today. But let us assist them in a smart way. To help them stand on their own feet. So that one day they are able to join, on an equal footing, the global economic system, without unnecessary limitations and barriers." Endi