On December 17, 2024, North China University of Water Resources and Hydropower (NCWU) organized a seminar on the progress of the National Natural Science Foundation International (Regional) Cooperation and Exchange Project (NSFC-UNEP) "Impacts of climate change on the water-food-energy nexus in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin" at the Zhengzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center. Prof. Zhang Linxiu, Director of UNEP-IEMP, attended the meeting as the International Co-Principal Investigator of the project. The meeting was chaired by Professor Liu Junguo, President of NCWU and the Principal Investigator of the project. Academician Li Bailian (Chairman of the World Ecological Summit Council EcoSummit), Academician Zhang Zhibin (School of Ecology and Environment of Hainan University), Dr. Xia Yan (senior academic editor of Nature), Professor Wu Wenliang (China Agricultural University), and Researcher Wang Yanhui (Chinese Academy of Forestry) attended the meeting as invited experts. Over 40 people, including the core project team members from various project components, attended the meeting. 

Professor Liu Junguo introduced the project overview, followed by reports from the four project component leaders. Then, Director Zhang Linxiu introduced the work carried out by UNEP-IEMP in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin. The invited experts gave positive comments on the project in terms of project design, technical implementation, division of labor and organizational management. Moreover, the expert group made constructive suggestions, including considering the links between various topics - in particular the challenges of extreme ecology and environment, to serve the overall goal of the project. 

Director Zhang Linxiu introduced the relevant work of UNEP-IEMP in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin and made suggestions for the project

After the in-depth discussion of the expert group, Director Zhang Linxiu emphasized the need to strengthen project outreach, highlighting the advantages of bilateral projects in forming international influence, and to provide scientific evidence to support policy decision-making, and wished the success of the project. Professor Liu Junguo, on behalf of the project team, highly valued the opinions of the expert group, and would take them to improve the implementation plan, and ensure the efficiency and quality of project execution.