On 12 January, 2021, Ms. Zhang Linxiu, Director of United Nations Environment Programme – International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP), and Researcher of the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), was invited to attend a UN Policy Dialogue on Green Development on “Acting on COVID-posed challenges: Accelerating the Transition to a Low-carbon Economy” and participated in the session III “Biodiversity and Nature-based Solutions”.

As part of the UN Policy Dialogue series planned by the UN Country Team in China and following the UN Framework for the Immediate Socio-Economic Response to COVID-19, this policy dialogue was co-organized by UNDP and UNEP to invite government officials, private sector representatives, and experts from development and research institutions to share different views on accelerating green development. More than 200 participants joined the policy dialogue and/or the discussion. The dialogue proceedings have resulted in recommendations that inform the policy debate on building back better and accelerating SDG attainment. 

Participants sharing insights at the UN Policy Dialogue

In the presentation titled "NBS implementation with nexus approach: examples from Nepal and China ", Director Zhang demonstrated UNEP-IEMP’s work on NBS implementation through two pilot programmes and shared the key messages for the NBS from related working experiences. 

Professor Linxiu Zhang making presentation on NBS implementation for the UN Policy Dialogue

She presented the nexus approaches including natural resources (integrated) management and utilization, various stake-holders motivation and participation, livelihood improvement, traditional culture protection and heritage etc. UNEP-IEMP promotes the key results and impacts of these projects under UNEP’s flagship programme on “Climate Change-Ecosystems-Livelihood (CEL)”. In the last part of this presentation, based on the rich working experiences, 6 key messages from various aspects on nexus approach methodology, stake-holders motivation, local capacity and knowledge building, the role of scientific guidance, the role of sustainability, and women empowerment in agrobiodiversity conservation were suggested by Director Zhang for NBS implementation. 

For more information about the UN Policy Dialogue Series, please click here.