31 October 2021|News
On October 28, Dr. Linxiu Zhang was invited as a panellist at a live debate organized by Friends of Europe to discuss the outcomes of the first part of the CBD COP15, and look ahead to what Europe and Asia can do together as they look to protect and promote global biodiversity.
The debate began with opening remarks by Mr. Zhang Ming, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to EU. Dr. Linxiu Zhang first shared her observation on the outcomes of CBD COP15 Part One and remain optimistic when looking ahead. She then made interventions on what are areas of priorities for Europe and Asia to work together ahead of the main Conference of the Parties. She emphasized that promoting synergistic action for biodiversity, climate, land and oceans, and livelihoods is very important because Earth’s environmental emergencies and human well-being need to be addressed together to achieve sustainability. The development of goals, targets, commitments and mechanisms under multilateral environmental agreements and their implementation need to be aligned to become more synergistic and effective. The change should be geared with a range of actions that can simultaneously enhance biodiversity and deliver economic prosperity. She also emphasized that supporting community participation and women’s empowerment should also be made as a priority. Indigenous people and local communities contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity through the application of traditional knowledge, innovations and practices, and through the stewardship of biodiversity on their traditional lands and territories.
Director Linxiu Zhang (top 1 from the left side in the picture) sharing her opinions on the debate
This discussion is part of Friends of Europe’s discussion series on Europe-China Dialogue which sets within a broader Europe-Asia dialogue. For watching the livestream, please visit Friends of Europe’s website at http://www.friendsofeurope.org/.
28 October 2021|News
On October 21, 2021, Ms. Tatirose Vijitpan, Climate Change Adaptation Specialist and Focal Point of the Greater Mekong Sub-region Portfolio, UNEP-IEMP, gave a lecture for the Executive Master in Development Policies and Practices, under the Graduate Institute - Geneva (IHEID) and Asian Institute of Technology (AIT).
Under the topic of "Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA): principles and applications in the Mekong and other regions", her talk covered the background of EbA, its key principles, benefits and co-benefits, examples of EbA initiatives, how to conduct EbA interventions, challenges, among others. Examples and lessons from the "Ecosystem-based Adaptation through South-South Cooperation (EbA South)" project that UNEP-IEMP served as the project management unit during 2013-2020 were also shared. The lecture was well-received, with various pertinent questions from the students as well as interest of application of some of the EbA South knowledge products.
Ms. Tatirose Vijitpan from UNEP-IEMP (top 1 in the picture) giving lecture on Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA)
UNEP-IEMP promotes institutional cooperation in the Climate, Ecosystems and Livelihoods (CEL) areas in developing countries. This lecture served as a good opportunity to share the lessons learned from UNEP-IEMP’s project implementation process and enhanced the potential of future collaboration between institutions.
For more information, please contact Tatirose Vijitpan, tatirose.vijitpan@unep-iemp.org.
19 October 2021|News
14-15 October 2021, Ecological Civilization Forum held successfully during the first part of the UN Biodiversity Conference COP 15. About 2000 participants from across the globe joined the Forum, on-site and on-line, exchanging views and ideas on enhancing biodiversity conservation for a bright future of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.
The Ecological Civilization Forum is divided into 3 parts: opening ceremony, 7 breakout thematic forums and closing ceremony. Susan Gardner, Director of Ecosystems Divison UNEP, pointed out during her speech at the opening that "an ecological civilization defies time; if we are to ensure a sustainable future for all, then raising ambition for nature and delivering on this ambition must be a top priority."
Susan Gardner delievring opening address at the ECF
UNEP-IEMP, together with Chinese Ecological Civilization Research and Promotion Association and Research Institute for Eco-civilization, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences co-hosted Thematic Forum 3: Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains are Invaluable Assets: from Concept to Practice. China’s concept of "Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains are Invaluable Assets" and the practice of the Green to Gold transformation are a common topic of concern for the participants. Mr. ZHAO Yingmin, Vice Minister of MEE China, Mr. REN Junhao, Vice Governor of Yunnan Province, Mr. WANG Linggui, Vice President of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Ms. Doreen Robinson, Head of Biodiversity and Land UNEP and Ms. Diane Holdorf, Managing Director of WBCSD gave opening speeches at the thematic forum.
Twenty guests from international organizations, academic institutions, local governments, NGOs and enterprises discussed in depth and offered suggestions through keynote speech and dialogues. A total of about 400 online and offline representatives attended the thematic forum.
Dr. Linxiu Zhang, Director of UNEP-IEMP made a keynote speech on Promoting Synergies in Addressing Challenges of Climate Change, Ecosystem Degradation and Livelihoods: Experiences and Implications. She stressed that the interconnected nature of the UN SDGs and challenges in achieving these goals. In particular, the vicious cycle of ecosystem degradation, climate change and poverty that developing countries are facing will need the application of system thinking and integrated approach to address trade-offs and stimulate synergies. She presented the effectiveness of the integrated approach derived from the UNEP "Climate, Ecosystems and Livelihoods" Flagship Programme in addressing such issues, suggesting the development of green livelihoods as a means of mainstreaming natural capital by integrating biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration while addressing the impact of climate change.
As the only parallel event held offline during the first part of COP 15, the one-and-half-day event delivered more than 10 outcomes. In the closing session, all delegates jointly released the initiative for "Protecting Biodiversity for a Shared Global Ecological Civilization", calling on all parties to uphold the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, work together and take action to build a beautiful world in harmony with all things.
23 August 2021|News
On August 13, 2021, supported the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Belt and Road International Alliance for Green Development, the mid-term consultation meeting of"Key Biodiversity Areasalong the Belt and Road: Identification and Risk Control of ‘No-go Areas’ Project hosted by United Nations Environment Programme - International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP- IEMP) was successfully held online. Professionals from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China Construction Bank, China International Contractors Association and other organizations, stakeholders and project team participated the meeting, Ms. Wang Guoqin, Officer of the UNEP-IEMP Project Unit, moderated the meeting.
Figure 1 Project mid-term consultation meeting was held online
Dr. Zhang Linxiu, Director of the UNEP-IEMP, pointed out that "biodiversity" is one of the three major environmental issues in the world today. In the context of the development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and China’s strengthening cooperation with countries along the route, it is tiem to pay more attention to the impact of project development activities on biodiversity conservation. And biodiversity conservation becomes an inevitable requirement for China's green development goal from overseas investment projects.
Ms. Liu Ying, Acting Director of the Green BRI Project, WWF Beijing Representative Office, briefly introduced the development background and the project areas of WWF. She gave a comprehensive and systematic explanation of the project from the perspectives of its background and goals. Ms. Liu also highlighted that this guideline refined and confused previous work would well satisfy various biodiversity conservation needs and requirements by all professionals and trades. Mr. Tian Fang, Deputy Director of the Belt and Road International Alliance for Green Development of the Foreign Cooperation and Exchange Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, introduced the work and the partnership of the organization.
Project leader Dr. Xu Xiangbo presented the project background, objectives, tasks, mid-term progress, next stage work plan. Based on the background and specific objectives of the project, Dr. Xu elaborated the various documents from different institutions that the draft guideline cited, referred and verified, and showed the research methods used in the guideline, then introduced the future work plan of the project.
During the discussion, the consultants conducted extensive discussions on the draft of the guideline, future work plans, and the presentation of results. Professionals from different fields offered their advices on the guideline’s framework, targets, application scenarios, the tools, and some related problems.
In order to satisfy the biodiversity conservation practical needs during the period of their projects development, this project is committed to proposing feasible methodologies to identify a potential "No-go zone". By helping corporations, financial institutions, decision-makers and other stakeholders to take adequate risk control and mitigation measures, this project aims to decrease the impact of infrastructure investment and construction on Key Biodiversity Areas, to reduce unnecessary losses to the implementing entities, and ultimately effectively implement the Green BRI development concept.
16 July 2021|News
11-13 July 2021, the 2021 Eco Forum Global was held successfully in Guiyang, Guizhou, China. Dr. Linxiu Zhang, Director of United Nations Environment Programme – International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP), was invited to attend the opening ceremony in the morning of 12 July, and gave a keynote speech at the theme forum "Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains are Invaluable Assets" in the same day afternoon.
In Director Zhang’s speech on Conserving Biodiversity and Enhancing Community Livelihoods through Integrated Approaches, Dr. Zhang stressed the interlinked nature of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the vicious cycle of ecosystem degradation, climate change and poverty that developing countries are facing. A nexus approach on Climate, Ecosystem and Livelihoods (CEL) was introduced in her speech with the importance of developing green livelihoods highlighted. Several cases from China and other developing countries were mentioned as examples of the application of the CEL approach.
Key messages from Director Zhang’s speech include:
SDGs are interlinked and require the application of systems thinking and integrated approaches to address trade-offs and exploit synergies.
Integrating the development of green livelihoods into biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration while addressing the negative effects of climate change is one of the means of mainstreaming nature.
At the implementation level, the role of community participation, women empowerment, integrating of traditional wisdom and modern scientific knowledge, private sector engagement, and long-term partnerships are important elements.
Application of the CEL nexus approach in rural areas of developing countries will contribute to the effective implementation of the SDGs and needs to be promoted and scaled up through South-South Cooperation.
Director Linxiu Zhang Delivered a Keynote Speech
Eco Forum Global is a non-profit, international high-end platform, aiming at promoting eco-civilization by convening global leaders from government, business, academics, media and civil society for building a resource-saving and environment-friendly society. It is the first and only state-approved international platform on the theme of ecological civilization in China.
