On October 11, 2023, the Workshop on Developing Environmental Cooperation Platform in Northeast Asia for Joint Prevention and Control of Sandstorm under the "3+X" Cooperation Mode was held in Beijing. The theme of the workshop was "Combat Sand and Dust Storms, Contribute to Ecological Civilization", aiming to build cooperation consensus, build an environmental cooperation platform, deepen information sharing and exchange, and strengthen international cooperation on comprehensive prevention and control of sandstorm among relevant government departments, environmental protection agencies, scientific research institutions, international cooperation organizations and other stakeholders in Northeast Asian countries. Hosted by the Chinese Academy of Environmental Sciences, the workshop was attended by more than 80 government officials, representatives of international cooperation agencies, non-governmental organizations, experts from research institutes, universities, and business representatives from China, Japan, South Korea, and Mongolia. Dr. Linxiu Zhang, Director of UNEP-IEMP, was invited to attend the workshop and deliver a keynote speech entitled "Promote sustainable land use through various means to prevent and control sand and dust pollution".
In her speech, Dr. Zhang first introduced the current situation and challenges of global land use, analyzed the impact of factors such as climate change, population growth and industrialization, urbanization, global trade and capital flows, government subsidies, and gender inequality on land use, and then presented examples of multiple ways to promote sustainable land use. Relevant examples include the grassland property rights system to improve the quality of grassland and reduce dust pollution, the land tenure system to prevent sand pollution at the source, and legal empowerment providing necessary legal support to secure women’s land property rights. She concluded that a systematic approach can fully take into consideration the ecological, social and economic spillover effects of land protection projects and contribute to the sustainable use of land, and called on further efforts to be made to stabilize land property rights, strengthen women's empowerment, and strengthen ecological and environmental education.
Director Linxiu Zhang delivered a keynote speech
Participants in the workshop conducted extensive and in-depth exchanges on topics such as "Technologies and policies for land desertification and sandstorm mitigation in Northeast Asia", "Countermeasures for regional ecological degradation and climate change", "Coordinated measures for land desertification and sandstorm control", and "Green development in desertification areas and community management in dust source areas", and reached broad consensus on strengthening regional cooperation on sandstorm issues. Dr. Zhang indicated that UNEP-IEMP will continue to play the role of the UNEP Collaborating Center and provide an exchange and cooperation platform for various parties in the region.
