Chinese President Xi Jinping's Global Governance Initiative (GGI), unveiled at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Plus meeting in Tianjin on September 1, 2025, has sparked global dialogue on inclusive policymaking. Among the voices shaping this conversation is Tieu Thanh, a young Vietnamese participant who emphasized the critical role of a people-centered approach in climate action during the summit's youth forum.
The GGI's five pillars – sovereign equality, international rule of law, multilateralism, human-focused development, and practical implementation – resonated with delegates from 18 countries. Thanh, drawing from Vietnam's experiences with coastal erosion and energy transitions, argued that "climate policies must account for how low-income families bear the brunt of both pollution and green transition costs."
Her intervention highlighted how fishermen in Vietnam's Mekong Delta face simultaneous threats from rising sea levels and renewable energy infrastructure projects. This perspective aligns with the GGI's emphasis on balancing macro-level governance with grassroots realities – a theme echoed by youth delegates from Syria, Tonga, and South Africa discussing post-conflict reconstruction and sustainable development.
