28 January 2026|News
January 2026, Thailand– A UNEP-IEMP delegation, consisting Ms. Guoqin Wang (Programme Manager) and Ms. Tatirose Vijitpan (Focal Point, Greater Mekong Sub-region Portfolio), concluded a productive mission to Thailand in early January 2026. The visit reinforced partnerships for the UNEP Climate, Ecosystems and Livelihoods (CEL) Flagship Programme.
The team engaged in field investigations in Nan province on forest restoration and livelihood challenges with local communities, NGOs, business sector, and government agencies. In Bangkok, strategic meetings were held with Kasetsart University to advance collaboration on biodiversity and ecosystem management; and with the National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC, under the National Science and Technology Development Agency - NSTDA) on sustainable bamboo industry development.
Meeting with Kasersart University (Faculty of Forestry: Dean, Associate Dean, and key faculty members)
Meeting with the National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC) executive team and research team members
The mission successfully deepened collaborative ties, identifying concrete pathways to support Thailand’s national conservation goals and the implementation of global environmental frameworks through the integrated CEL approach.
28 January 2026|News
27 January 2026, Beijing – A delegation from the China–World Bank Group (WBG) Global Ecosystems Center (CWGC), led by Mr André Aquino, Lead Environmental Specialist, visited the UNEP-IEMP to explore synergistic opportunities for collaboration in the field of ecosystem restoration and sustainable development, with a particular focus on sharing China's experiences globally.
Mr Aquino introduced CWGC, which was officially launched in late 2024 under the auspices of the Chinese Ministry of Finance. He highlighted the Center's mission to promote Chinese expertise and proven practices in ecological restoration to the world, and to facilitate mutual learning. Prof. Zhang Linxiu, UNEP-IEMP Director, extended congratulations on the establishment of the CWGC. She introduced the founding and operational modality of UNEP-IEMP, highlighting the Flagship Programme on Climate-Ecosystem-Livelihood (CEL) nexus approach. She emphasized UNEP-IEMP's role in bridging science and policy through global networks, particularly the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN).
The CWGC delegation expressed strong interest in collaborating with UNEP-IEMP, recognizing complementary strengths, while UNEP-IEMP affirmed its readiness to advance the partnership. This engagement marks a promising step towards fostering powerful synergies between the two global centres to accelerate progress on ecosystem restoration and sustainable development worldwide.
12 December 2025|News
On 11 December 2025, UNEP-IEMP warmly welcomed a distinguished alumnus back to its Beijing office: Prof. Dr. Adandé Belarmain Fandohan, Vice President of the National University of Agriculture (NUA) in Benin. The visit marked a significant moment of reconnection and forward-looking collaboration.
During his exchanges with UNEP-IEMP team, Prof. Fandohan provided a comprehensive overview of the National University of Agriculture, Benin, a key institution driving agricultural education, innovation, and sustainable development in West Africa. He shared insights into the university's strategic priorities and its role in addressing regional challenges related to food security, climate resilience, and ecosystem management. Furthermore, he shared key areas of potential cooperation as well as overall context of Benin and West Africa.
Dr. Fandohan’s visit to UNEP-IEMP is part of a two-week research cooperation mission in Beijing. As a former postdoctoral research fellow at UNEP-IEMP, his return was a homecoming that highlighted the enduring professional bonds and shared commitment to sustainability science fostered by the programme. It also reinforces the strong collaborative network UNEP-IEMP continues to build with institutions across developing countries for South-South Cooperation.
08 December 2025|News
The 29th Annual Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Working Group on Environment was co-hosted by China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Asian Development Bank in Kunming, China, from 2-4 December 2025. Focused on scaling up Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to accelerate biodiversity conservation, low-carbon transition, and climate resilience, the meeting aimed mainly to strengthen regional understanding and share knowledge on the role of NbS and the landscape approach in delivering integrated environmental outcomes.
Ms. Tatirose Vijitpan, UNEP-IEMP Climate Change Adaptation Specialist, was invited to serve as a moderator and panelist in a session on building climate resilience. The session shared several NbS cases from urban, forest, land-sea interaction, and sustainability perspectives. In her presentation,"Nature-based Solutions at Landscape Scale", Ms. Vijitpan showcased a successful large-scale ecological restoration case from China, demonstrating how integrated landscape transformation can deliver climate adaptation, disaster-risk reduction, and community resilience. Her insights provided applicable principles for advancing integrated environmental outcomes across the GMS through the NbS landscape approach.
08 December 2025|News
On November 28, 2025, the United Nations Environment Programme – International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP) successfully hosted the 17thCEL Seminar. Dr. Jiangang Zhu, President of Beijing Academy of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, delivered an academic report entitled "Discussion on the Path of Scientific and Technological Innovation of Landscape Greening in the Context of Garden City" at Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The seminar was hosted by Prof. Linxiu Zhang, Director of the UNEP-IEMP Centre, and moderated by Assoc. Prof. Xiangbo Xu, UNEP-IEMP Research Fellow.
In his presentation, Dr. Jiangang Zhu systematically analyzed the new challenges and emerging demands facing the field of urban landscaping. He examined shifts in human needs, transformations in economic models, the evolution of urban development patterns, and the intrinsic development trends within the landscaping industry. Focusing on the construction of garden cities, he highlighted two key innovation objectives: ecological functionalization and earth artification. Furthermore, he proposed specific innovation pathways and strategies centered on three core directions: "platformization of research institutes, productization of outcomes, and scenario-based technology application." Drawing on practical cases from Beijing, Dr. Zhu shared innovative models for garden residential areas, garden streets, and garden villages, underscoring the vital role of landscape greening in enhancing urban ecological quality and residents' well-being.
Following the report, Dr. Zhu engaged in in-depth discussions with participants, including researchers and professionals, on current challenges and future directions for technological innovation in landscape greening. The exchange further promoted the integration and innovation of the garden city concept across both research and practical applications.
The seminar strengthened academic exchange and collaboration between UNEP-IEMP and Beijing Academy of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, contributing to the ongoing discourse on sustainable urban development and ecological civilization.
24 November 2025|News
At the request of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), Thailand, to UNEP to share Nature-based Solutions (NbS) case studies and best practices from China and other countries, which are applicable to Thailand, UNEP’s Asia and the Pacific Office (UNEP ROAP) together with the Department of Water Resources (DWR, MONRE) organized the "Brownbag Session on Nature-based Solutions" on 21 November 2025 at the DWR office in Bangkok. Participants came from various agencies under MONRE and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. In this regard, UNEP-IEMP was invited to share NbS cases from China, alongside other speakers from UNEP.
Ms Tatirose Vijitpan, UNEP-IEMP Climate Change Adaptation Specialist, delivered a presentation titled "Nature-based Solutions: Chinese Examples for Thailand". She showcased transformative Chinese case studies tailored to the Thai context, stressing the importance of landscape-scale actions as well as the integration of various policy mechanisms and on-the-ground measures. She also highlighted China’s rich knowledge and experiences in NbS, as well as the technology transfer, knowledge sharing, and cooperation that UNEP-IEMP has facilitated between China and other countries through South-South and Triangular cooperation on the topic of NbS.The presentation was very well-receivedand was praised asboth practical and inspiring.
16 October 2025|News
On October 14, 2025, Dr. Edgar E. Gutierrez-Espeleta, Co-Chair of the Seventh Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-7) and former Minister of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica, engaged in a fruitful dialogue with the UNEP-IEMP at the invitation of Prof. Linxiu Zhang, UNEP-IEMP Director.
As a new Co-Chair of UNEP-IEMP Scientific Advisory Group, Dr. Gutierrez-Espeleta shared his wealth of experience and insights as a prominent leader in the fields of science and environmental policy on a global scale. In his remarks, he underscored the critical role that scientific research plays in shaping effective policies and outlined the various synergies needed to advance sustainability initiatives. He emphasized the importance of utilizing diverse indicators to measure progress and highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence as a transformative tool for enhancing environmental management.
The exchange prompted a series of engaging discussions among UNEP-IEMP staff and students to shared own perspectives, further enriching the conversation on the intersection of research, technology, and sustainable development. As the session concluded, Dr. Gutierrez-Espeleta encouraged the audience to remain committed to a collaborative approach in tackling environmental challenges.
15 October 2025|News
The UNEP-IEMP 8th Steering Committee Meeting and 6th Science Advisory Group meeting were jointly organized on 13 October 2025, in Beijing, China. It was co-chaired by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
At the meeting, UNEP-IEMP’s programme and institutional development progress were reviewed, and the biennial work plan was proposed and discussed. The highlighted progresses on science for policy, solution-oriented actions, South-South Cooperation, and power of partnership were highly praised for its value added as the UNEP`s first collaborative center in the Global South.
Recommendations on outreach, sustainability, partnership and policy impacts of current work were well discussed. It is encouraged that UNEP-IEMP, through its interdisciplinary and nexus approach, will play a more prominent role in connecting agendas across the three Rio Conventions (on climate change, biodiversity and land degradation), ensuring coherence in global environmental governance.
The Meeting also approved the UNEP-IEMP Work Plan 2025/2026, with its 35 projects developed at different stages in 4 thematic portfolios and institutional development component.
Group photo of the meetings
09 October 2025|News
On September 29, 2025, UNEP-IEMP organized a seminar on agricultural socialized services and circular agriculture, as well as a kickoff meeting for the development model and effectiveness evaluation project of circular agriculture. The kick-off meeting invited more than 20 institutions from the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing University, Renmin University of China, Rural Energy and Environment Agency, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Research Center for Rural Economy RCRE, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and other institutions to participate in the meeting.
The meeting began with Ms. Zhang Yanping from the World Resources Institute introducing the project background, and Director Zhang Linxiu from UNEP-IEMP delivering a welcome speech. Next, Associate Researcher Xu Xiangbo introduced the "Green Circular Agriculture Development Model and Efficiency Evaluation" project from the aspects of project background, objectives, methods, and progress. This project takes agricultural socialized service organizations as the starting point, and through pilot research in Jilin, Henan, Sichuan, and Fujian provinces, combined with life cycle assessment methods, aims to synthesize typical circular agriculture models, evaluate their ecological and economic efficiency, and ultimately provide suggestions for policy formulation. In the subsequent discussion session, the attendees had in-depth discussions and exchanges on project activities and case study selection, technical models and implementation mechanisms, precise evaluation of benefits, and promoting sustainable development of circular agriculture in planting and breeding.
Venue of the seminar and kick-off meeting
This kick-off meeting promoted in-depth communication between the research team and multiple experts, clarified the focus direction and key issues of the project, and laid a solid foundation for the effective promotion and communication cooperation of subsequent research.
