7 November, Beijing: UN Assistant Secretary-General Ms. Kanni Wignaraja is expected to arrive in China for her first official in-person visit to the country in her capacity as UNDP Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific from November 8 to 15. During this time, Ms. Wignaraja will meet with diverse stakeholders to increase bilateral and multilateral cooperation and accelerate sustainable development progress in China and the Asia and the Pacific region. 

Ms. Wignaraja will conduct consultations with Chinese government officials from the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), China International Development Cooperation Agenda (CIDCA) and meet representatives from the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) and the China Development Bank (CDB). She will also engage with representatives of UN agencies and international development partners in Beijing.

In addition, Ms. Wignaraja will deliver a keynote address at the UNDP event, Human Development Progress and Opportunities: Navigating the Future – Advancing Human Development in A Changing World, co-hosted by Tsinghua University. 

Ms. Wignaraja will then travel to Dongying City in Shandong Province and engage with various stakeholders during a field visit to the Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve as part of a UNDP-GEF project implemented by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and the local government to strengthen the protected area network for migratory birds and wetland conservation. 

Ms. Wignaraja will conclude her visit in the financial hub of Shenzhen, where she will gain insights into the city’s efforts to harness innovative green finance and fintech to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She is expected to meet with Shenzhen government senior leaders and will participate in a policy conversation on sustainable finance co-hosted by the Shenzhen Municipal Financial Regulatory Bureau, which will gather key thinkers and institutional players from Shenzhen’s financial sector.

MEDIA CONTACT:   
Ms. Zhao Yue, Innovation and Communications Officer, UNDP China at yue.zhao@undp.org