International coalition to promote development of green B&R

Joyce Msuya, Acting UNEP Executive Director, delivers a speech during the Thematic Forum on Green Silk Road of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, on April 25, 2019. [Photo: Health Time/Kou Xiaowen]

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) International Green Development Coalition has been launched in Beijing to promote international cooperation for green development.

The coalition was launched at the Thematic Forum on Green Silk Road during the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation underway in Chinese capital on Thursday.

In recent years, China has been actively promoting international cooperation for sustainable development. A series of cooperative programs for green development have been launched by China and other countries, such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Green Silk Road Envoys and green industrial parks.

"While realizing its own green development, China is also actively making efforts and contributions to the global green development, said Li Ganjie, Minster of Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China.

Richard Brabec, the Czech Deputy Prime Minister, delivers a speech during the Thematic Forum on Green Silk Road of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, on April 25, 2019. [Photo: Health Time/Kou Xiaowen]

The BRI International Green Development Coalition is designed to be a platform to strengthen the international cooperation of green development. The coalition, aims to promote international consensus and collective actions of Belt and Road countries to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It was co-initiated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China. It is an open, inclusive and voluntary international network which will integrate green development into the process of constructing the Belt and Road.

Joyce Msuya, the Acting Executive Director of UNEP, said China has launched the Belt and Road International Green Development Coalition and shared its experience to benefit other countries. UNEP is willing to support countries along the Belt and Road route to promote sustainable development.

"With the right policies and safeguards in place, the Belt and Road Initiative has significant potential to help countries work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda. Beside of this, the Belt and Road Initiative will be a window in which UN Environment can help countries use Belt and Road investments to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals", said Sommat Pholsena, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment in Lao People's Democratic Republic.

The Thematic Forum on Green Silk Road of Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation is held at China National Convention Center in Beijing, on April 25, 2019. [Photo: China Plus/Zhao Lixing]

In the future, the coalition will promote the exchange and transfer of advanced green and low-carbon technology, promote investment in green infrastructure and trade. Further, a series of seminars and workshops, capacity building activities and pilot projects will be carried out under the Coalition research on green Belt and Road.

File Photo: Colombo Port City in Sri Lanka. [Photo courtesy of National Development and Reform Commission of China]

"Sustainability in this sense does not mean abstract values and very distant goals, but rather quality of life, safety and comfortable environment," said Richard Brabec, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Environment of the Czech Republic. He added, "Czech Republic can provide many solutions and know-how in this field. We can utilize our experience in transition. Over the last decades our economy made a shift from heavy industry to various forms of light industry, services, and smart solutions. Traditional engineering accepted the challenges of green development and became more effective. I am convinced that this is the right contribution to the effort of the Silk Road."

File Photo: Thai-Chinese Rayong Industrial Zone. [Photo courtesy of National Development and Reform Commission of China]

A big data platform was also set up to support secured exchange of ecological environment information through sharing and collaboration among the Belt and Road countries. The platform shares information with government, businesses and people of countries along the Belt and Road on environmental protections laws, cooperation projects and other relevant data and information.

File Photo: Eastern Industry Zone in Ethiopia. [Photo courtesy of National Development and Reform Commission of China]

The Thematic Forum on Green Silk Road is one of 12 thematic forums of the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. More than 200 delegates representing government departments, international organizations and research institutions from across the world attended the forum, sharing theories and practices on ecological civilization construction. They also deliberated on the development of the Green Belt and Road under the theme of "Building a Green Silk Road, and Joint Realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."