联合国开发计划署署长：从多边合作到商业变革，可持续发展成为时代核心命题

当前，世界正处于深刻而复杂的变革期。气候危机持续加剧，数字技术加速迭代，人口结构深刻变迁——多重力量交织作用，正在重塑全球发展的底层逻辑。传统的发展范式面临挑战，既有治理体系难以应对日益复杂的跨界议题，许多国家在绿色转型与经济增长之间艰难平衡。

在这一背景下，如何理解当今全球发展面临的深层困境？多边合作能否真正回应各国关切？企业应当如何看待可持续发展——是额外成本，还是核心竞争力？作为全球第二大经济体和南南合作的重要参与者，中国在推动国内绿色转型、包容发展的同时，又将为全球可持续发展贡献怎样的方案？

为探讨上述问题，新浪财经近日对话了联合国副秘书长兼开发计划署署长、比利时前首相亚历山大·德克罗（Alexander De Croo）。德克罗从全球视野出发，深入剖析了当今世界的结构性挑战，系统阐述了可持续发展如何从理念转化为行动，并结合中国在绿色转型、数字创新和南南合作等领域的实践，分析了其对于全球发展的启示与意义。

联合国开发计划署署长亚历山大·德克罗（Alexander De Croo）

德克罗表示，当今的可持续发展格局正面临一系列复杂且相互关联的挑战，这些挑战虽表现形式各异，却深刻影响着世界各国：气候冲击逐年加剧，不平等问题持续扩大，社会凝聚力不断削弱，地缘政治紧张局势日益升温。他指出，这些只是问题的表象，而非根源所在——真正深层次的症结在于结构性断裂。

德克罗认为，许多发展中经济体深陷持续存在的贫困、不平等、气候脆弱性和财政空间紧张等多重困境。与此同时，发达国家也面临着人口老龄化、绿色转型压力、社会凝聚力下降以及生产率承压等挑战。他分析道，将这些迥异的现实境遇串联起来的，是全球范围的资金流动、人员往来、病毒传播、犯罪活动和污染扩散——这充分印证了我们这个时代深度互联的本质特征，也意味着任何国家都无法凭一己之力应对这些挑战。

德克罗强调，发展必须置于全球重大挑战应对策略的核心位置。投资发展是增强韧性、拓展机遇、促进全球稳定最为有效的路径之一。这是一项立足长远的战略性政策和投资选择，更是一项明智之选。

在德克罗看来，当前世界分化加剧、信任流失，人们本能地倾向于向内退缩。但真正的出路不是放弃合作，而是推动合作变得更加高效、更加包容、更具影响力。这正是联合国开发计划署与世界各国开展合作的初衷——立足各国优先事项，同时兼顾区域和全球发展态势，提供务实且可规模化推广的解决方案。这些努力离不开与各国政府、私营部门、国际金融机构、公民社会等各方力量建立紧密的伙伴关系。

德克罗特别指出，中国在这一进程中扮演着重要角色。开发计划署自1979年以来与中国建立并持续深化的长期合作，既支持中国在国内推进可持续发展目标，尤其是在可持续发展新前沿、绿色转型、包容性社会经济发展等领域取得进展，也助力以符合国际标准、需求导向的方式，在全球范围内分享中国的发展经验。从气候行动、生物多样性保护到数字经济与南南合作，他相信，开发计划署与中国的伙伴关系充分展示了多边合作如何催生跨越国界的创新解决方案。

德克罗最后强调，展望未来，多边合作必须与时俱进，变得更加灵活敏捷、更加注重伙伴关系、更加聚焦于切实改善民生福祉。他指出，这是开发计划署始终秉持的核心理念，也是时代赋予我们的必然选择。

德克罗指出，对许多企业而言，环境和社会承诺仍被视为额外成本。但全球商业格局正在发生深刻变化，最具前瞻眼光的企业已然认识到，可持续发展已成为决定长期竞争力的核心要素。在他看来，融入可持续发展理念不再是单纯的向善之举，而是日益关乎风险管理、绩效提升和未来增长保障。

德克罗强调，投资发展是一项明智的战略选择。那些将气候行动、负责任供应链和包容性增长纳入核心战略的企业，能够更好地应对市场波动、监管调整和消费者期望的演变。与此同时，可持续发展也为企业打开了通向新技术、新市场以及绿色和混合融资新渠道的大门。面对当前增长乏力、动荡不定的全球经济形势，将可持续发展置于战略核心的企业，更有能力实现长期稳健发展。

德克罗介绍道，联合国开发计划署的职责，就是助力营造有利环境，让私营部门能够满怀信心、规模化地参与推动可持续发展。他分析，全球并不缺乏资本，真正的挑战在于引导资本流向最能产生深远影响的地方。正因如此，开发计划署与各国政府携手合作，强化政策与监管框架，降低投资风险，引导激励机制向可持续成果倾斜。通过混合融资等创新工具，开发计划署帮助调动私营资本，投入那些风险较高或相对陌生的项目。这对新兴和发展中经济体尤为关键——这些地区机遇巨大，但也亟需稳定性和可预见性。

德克罗进一步举例说明，开发计划署在中国发布的SDG投资者地图，系统梳理了可持续发展目标相关重点领域的投资机遇，充分展现了包容性可持续投资的巨大潜力。开发计划署还与包括中国企业在内的众多企业紧密合作，支持它们将业务运营与可持续发展目标相对接。从气候创新、生物多样性保护到包容性数字化转型，这些伙伴关系生动证明：当商业目标与发展目标同向而行，影响力便会倍增。在中国，开发计划署正与金融机构、监管部门和行业企业通力合作，加快引导公共和私人资本向可持续发展目标靠拢。德克罗表示，开发计划署的工作重点是支持中国向自然向好与低碳经济转型，为实现政府提出的“双碳”目标（2030年碳达峰、2060年碳中和）奠定坚实基础。

德克罗最后强调，只要公共部门、私营部门和发展伙伴携手同行，我们就一定能够确保可持续发展为整个社会带来长期繁荣。

德克罗指出，过去十年间，中国在可持续发展领域取得了显著进展，其成就广受认可——从消除贫困、扩大公共服务覆盖面，到基础设施和创新的重大投入，再到可再生能源、电动交通以及气候适应与减缓行动的加速拓展，无不印证这一点。

他介绍道，2025年，联合国开发计划署在中国的工作围绕气候、环境、治理、性别平等和地方经济发展等重点领域，取得了多项重要成果。例如，在地方层面，协助八个省份示范点将国家制定的零碳乡村发展、可再生能源及能效提升相关指南落地推广，并与约60家私营企业建立了合作伙伴关系。

德克罗表示，开发计划署还着力深化与中国政府的战略伙伴关系，通过设立SDG创新实验室，加快推动地方层面的可持续发展目标进程。这些实验室致力于探索民生改善、数字经济、绿色转型和低碳路径等领域可规模化推广的综合解决方案。2025年新增设了四个实验室，其中两个落户于国务院指定的可持续发展议程创新示范区。

展望未来，德克罗认为，随着中国即将启动“十五五”规划，下一阶段的绿色包容增长应在巩固既有优势与成果的基础上，积极应对新挑战。他提出，优先任务之一是持续推进低碳转型，通过扩大清洁能源和能效提升规模、强化绿色供应链、支持行业和城市以务实渐进方式实现脱碳，为就业和竞争力提供有力支撑。

德克罗强调，第二个优先任务是将包容性置于转型的核心，加快国家向“高质量发展”迈进，助力实现共同繁荣，积极应对可持续发展前沿议题。这包括缩小区域发展差距，拓展人口老龄化和银发经济的发展机遇，确保中小微企业能够获得融资渠道、技术支撑和市场准入。

德克罗指出，这些优先事项已在开发计划署今年启动的新一期国别方案中得到充分体现。中国的发展经验对众多发展中国家具有广泛借鉴意义，特别是在长期战略规划与强大执行能力相结合、务实推进地方试点探索等方面。

德克罗最后表示，正因如此，国际合作与知识交流依然弥足珍贵。中国在推动增长与可持续协调发展中持续发挥引领作用，不仅将惠及本国发展，也将为全球推进2030年议程贡献重要力量。

德克罗指出，我们正步入一个由若干强劲的大趋势塑造的十年，这些趋势将重新定义世界各地的发展进程。他提到，以数字化转型和AI为例，这些技术正迅速改变人们学习、工作和获取基本服务的方式。

另一个大趋势是应对气候变化、向净零排放经济转型的努力。德克罗认为，这意味着要改变投资模式和生产体系，并着眼于长期竞争力的塑造。第三个大趋势是人口结构的两端变化——从人口老龄化到青年人口增长。在他看来，这两方面都将对劳动力市场、公共服务和社会保障体系提出新的要求。

德克罗分析道，这些大趋势既孕育希望，也潜藏风险。AI和数字技术能够显著提升生产力，扩大医疗和教育覆盖面，催生新产业——但这必须以包容、透明、负责任的治理为引导。气候治理将日益影响资本流向、产业竞争格局以及各国如何应对财政压力。而大规模的人口结构变迁，则需要新的增长模式、技能培养体系、医疗保健及其他社会服务来适配。

德克罗强调，对于包括中国在内的各国而言，这些趋势将直接影响民众的日常生活。因此，企业和政府当下做出的选择比以往任何时候都更加重要。

他认为，要将人类发展置于应对全球挑战解决方案的核心，就必须动员更多公共和私人资金，加强治理与监管能力，并支持惠及全民的创新。

德克罗表示，中国在这方面可以发挥重要作用。中国在数字创新、绿色产业、可再生能源以及南南合作领域的领先地位，有助于加速中国自身以及广大发展中国家的前进步伐。他举例说，拟落户上海的联合国开发计划署全球可持续发展中心等平台，正展示了知识交流、数字解决方案与务实合作如何将全球承诺转化为落地行动。

德克罗最后强调，发展的未来必须始终坚持以人为中心。如果技术进步、气候行动和经济转型能够兼具包容性并植根于当地实际，那么2030年议程依然有望实现——成为通往更具韧性、更加公平、更可持续的经济体与社会的路径。他引述联合国的信念：未来不是静待发生，而是需要我们携手共创。

以下为英文对话原文：

Q: In your view, what are the primary sustainable development challenges faced by developed and developing countries, respectively? What efforts or transformations do you believe are necessary to address these challenges? Particularly in the current context of rising anti-globalization sentiment, what is your outlook on the trend of international cooperation?

A: Today's sustainable development landscape is marked by a set of complex and interconnected challenges that affect all countries, though in different ways: climate shocks that hit harder every year, rising inequality, declining social cohesion, and growing geopolitical tensions. But these are symptoms, not the root causes. What lies underneath are deeper structural fractures.  

Many developing economies are grappling with persistent poverty, inequality, climate vulnerability, and tight fiscal space. Developed countries, meanwhile, are dealing with ageing populations, the demands of the green transition, and pressures on social cohesion and productivity. What connects these realities are the global flows of finance, people, viruses, crime, and pollution – underscoring just how interconnected our world has become. No country can solve these challenges alone.

Development must sit at the heart of how we respond to our major global challenges. Investing in development is one of the most effective ways to build resilience, expand opportunities, and contribute to global stability. It is a strategic, long‑term policy and investment choice - and a smart one.

In a world where fragmentation is accelerating and trust is eroding, the instinct is often to turn inward. But the answer is not to retreat from cooperation; it is to make cooperation more effective, more inclusive, and more impactful.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) partners with countries around the world to deliver such practical, scalable solutions, grounded in countries' own priorities, while aware of the regional and global dynamics. This takes partnerships with governments, the private sector, international financial institutions (IFIs), civil society and beyond.

China is an important partner in this effort. UNDP's long-standing cooperation since 1979 with China supports the country's efforts to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) domestically, especially in areas such as new frontiers of sustainable development, the green transition, and inclusive socio-economic development, while also sharing China's development experiences globally in ways that are demand-driven and aligned with international standards. Through initiatives ranging from climate action and biodiversity conservation to the digital economy and South–South Cooperation, our partnership with China exemplifies how multilateral cooperation can generate solutions within and beyond national borders.

Looking ahead, multilateralism must continue to evolve to be more agile, more partnership‑oriented, and focused on delivering real improvements in people's lives. This is how we see it at UNDP, and it's not optional.

Q: Although some enterprises have recognized the importance of sustainable development, many still view incorporating environmental and social factors as an additional operational cost and a burden. How do you think we can persuade the private sector to engage more in sustainable development? What benefits can sustainable development bring to businesses?

A: For many enterprises, environmental and social commitments are still seen as additional costs. But the global business landscape is changing rapidly, and the most forward‑looking enterprises recognize that sustainability is now integral to long‑term competitiveness. Incorporating sustainability is no longer only about doing good; it is increasingly about managing risk, improving performance, and securing future growth.

Investing in development is a smart strategic choice. Companies that integrate climate action, responsible supply chains, and inclusive growth into their core strategies are better prepared for market volatility, regulatory shifts, and evolving consumer expectations. At the same time, sustainability opens access to new technologies, new markets, and new sources of green and blended finance. In a global economy facing instability and slow growth, companies that put sustainability at the core of their strategy are better positioned for long-term performance.

UNDP's role is to help create enabling conditions that allow the private sector to engage in helping to advance sustainable development confidently and at scale. There is no shortage of capital in the world; the real challenge is getting that capital to flow to the places where it has the greatest impact. That's why we work with governments to strengthen policy and regulatory frameworks, reduce investment risks, and align incentives toward sustainable outcomes. Through instruments such as blended finance, we help mobilize private capital for projects that might otherwise be too risky or unfamiliar. This is essential for emerging and developing economies, where the opportunity is enormous but so is the need for stability and predictability.

To make this actionable, UNDP's SDG Investor Map in China further highlights a wide range of investment opportunities across key SDG-linked sectors, underscoring the potential of inclusive and sustainable investment. We also collaborate closely with businesses – including many in China – that want to align their operations with the SDGs. From climate innovation and biodiversity to inclusive digital transformation, these partnerships show that when business and development objectives align, impact multiplies. In China, UNDP is working with financial institutions, regulatory bodies and corporate sectors to accelerate the redirection and alignment of public and private finance towards the SDGs. Our focus is on supporting the transition towards a nature-positive and low carbon economy and setting a strong basis to advance the Government's dual carbon goals (2030/2060).

By working together - public sector, private sector, and development partners - we can ensure that sustainable development generates long‑term prosperity for societies as a whole.

Q: How do you assess China's progress in the field of sustainable development? What suggestions do you have for China to achieve greener and more inclusive economic development in the future?

A: China has made significant progress in sustainable development over the past decade, with achievements that are widely recognized - from poverty reduction and expanded access to services, to major investments in infrastructure, innovation, and an accelerated expansion of renewable energy, e-transport, and climate adaptation and mitigation.

In 2025, UNDP's work in China demonstrated significant achievements across multiple thematic areas, with a strong focus on climate, environment, governance, gender, and local economic development. For example, at the local level, national guidelines on zero-carbon rural development, renewable energy and energy efficiency were applied across demonstration sites in eight provinces, partnering with around 60 private enterprises.

UNDP has also worked to significantly deepen its strategic partnership with the government to accelerate sub-national SDG progress through the establishment of SDG Innovation Labs. The focus of these labs is on exploring integrated and scalable development solutions on livelihoods, digital economy, green transition and low-carbon pathways. Four new labs were launched in 2025, two of which are located in China's State Council's designated SDG Demonstration Zones.

Looking ahead, as China prepares to launch its 15th Five-Year Plan, the next phase of green and inclusive growth can build on strengths and progress to date while addressing emerging challenges. One priority is to continue advancing the low-carbon transition in ways that support jobs and competitiveness - by scaling clean energy and energy efficiency, strengthening green supply chains, and supporting industries and cities to decarbonize in a practical, step-by-step manner.

A second priority is to keep inclusion at the centre of the transition, accelerating the national transition to "high-quality development", contributing to shared prosperity, and addressing new frontiers of sustainable development. This includes reducing regional disparities, expanding opportunities for the aging population and the silver economy, and ensuring that small and medium-sized enterprises can access finance, technology, and markets.

These priorities are reflected in UNDP's new Country Programme Document for China, which began this year. China's development experience also carries broader relevance for many developing countries, particularly in how it has combined long-term planning with strong implementation capacity and pragmatic, local-level experimentation.

This is also where international cooperation and knowledge exchange remain valuable. China's continued leadership in aligning growth with sustainability can therefore deliver benefits domestically while also contributing to global progress towards the 2030 Agenda.

Q: What megatrends do you anticipate we will face in the coming years—such as AI and digital transformation, climate governance, and others? How will these megatrends impact people's lives, the economy, and society? In addition, what further efforts do you think are needed to achieve the UN 2030 Agenda?

A: We are entering a decade shaped by several powerful megatrends that will redefine development everywhere. Take digital transformation and artificial intelligence, which are moving rapidly into reshaping how people learn, work, and access essential services.

Another is the efforts to counter climate change and move to net‑zero economies. This means altering investment patterns and production systems, and addressing long‑term competitiveness. A third megatrend is the demographic shifts at the two ends, from ageing populations to growing youth cohorts. Both will place new demands on labour markets, public services, and social protection systems.

These megatrends hold promise, but also clear risks. AI and digital technologies can significantly enhance productivity, expand access to health and education, and create new industries but only if they are guided by inclusive, transparent, and responsible governance. Climate governance will increasingly influence where capital flows, how industries compete, and how countries manage fiscal pressures. And large demographic shifts will require new models of growth, skills development, healthcare and other social services.

For countries, including China, these trends will directly shape people's daily lives. So, the choices that businesses and governments make today matter more than ever.

Placing human development at the centre of solutions to our global community's challenges requires mobilizing far more public and private finance, strengthening governance and regulatory capacity, and supporting innovation that is accessible to all.

China has an important role to play in this context. The country's leadership in digital innovation, green industries, renewable energy, and South-South Cooperation can help accelerate progress within China and across developing countries. Platforms such as the proposed UNDP's Global Centre in Shanghai demonstrate how knowledge exchange, digital solutions, and practical cooperation can transform global commitments into action on the ground.

Above all, the future of development must remain people‑centred. If technological progress, climate action, and economic transformation are inclusive and grounded in local realities, the 2030 Agenda can still be achieved, as a pathway toward more resilient, equitable, and sustainable economies and societies everywhere. At the United Nations, we believe the future is not something that simply happens - it is something we must build together.

来源：中心官微