Press Release

UN Resident Coordinator, Chinese Embassy Strengthen Partnership on Climate Resilience and Food Security

20 July 2026

Caption: Aneesah Abdullah, UN Country Coordination Officer, UN RCO satellite office in The Bahamas; Dennis Zulu, United Nations Resident Coordinator; Mr. Zhou Yi, Commercial Attaché, Embassy of the People's Republic of China; and a representative of the Embassy's Commercial Section.

NASSAU, The Bahamas — Climate resilience, food security and sustainable development were among the key priorities discussed as United Nations Resident Coordinator Dennis Zulu continued his high-level engagements in The Bahamas with a courtesy call on the Embassy of the People's Republic of China.

Mr. Zulu, accompanied by Aneesah Abdullah, UN Country Coordination Officer with the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office (UN RCO) satellite office in The Bahamas, met with Mr. Zhou Yi, Commercial Attaché, and another representative from the Embassy's Commercial Section to explore opportunities for continued collaboration as The Bahamas and the United Nations prepare for the implementation of the 2027–2031 Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (MSDCF).

The discussions reflected the shared recognition that international partnerships remain essential in helping Small Island Developing States confront the growing impacts of climate change while advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.

China's representatives outlined the country's continued commitment to climate action, highlighting investments in renewable energy technologies such as solar and wind power, electric vehicles and disaster preparedness equipment that can help countries build greater resilience against increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters.

Food security and sustainable agriculture also featured prominently during the meeting.

One of the most significant examples of cooperation between China and The Bahamas has been the Hunan-Bahamas Agricultural Cooperation Project, through which agricultural experts from China's Hunan Province established and operated a demonstration farm at the Gladstone Road Agricultural Centre in Nassau.

The initiative introduced climate-resilient crop varieties—including peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, cauliflower and watermelons—while providing practical training and technology transfer to Bahamian farmers, Ministry of Agriculture personnel and agricultural students. Following several successful extensions due to its impact, the project concluded last year with the demonstration farm officially handed over to the Government of The Bahamas.

Chinese officials also reaffirmed their country's commitment to maintaining a strong friendship with The Bahamas, noting that China's support for the construction of the country's new national hospital through highly concessional financing reflects its longstanding commitment to improving healthcare and supporting national development.

The meeting further acknowledged China's broader partnership with the United Nations, including its collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support Caribbean countries recovering from devastating hurricanes through multi-million-dollar resilience and recovery initiatives.

Mr. Zulu said the meeting underscored the value of bringing together governments, development partners and the United Nations to accelerate sustainable development.

The courtesy call formed part of the Resident Coordinator's mission to The Bahamas, during which he met with government officials, development partners, diplomatic representatives and civil society organizations to reinforce collaboration ahead of the launch of the 2027–2031 United Nations Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.