As the initiator of this forum, Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNEP, attended this forum together with three other senior officials of UNEP. Steiner highly appreciated the resolution and efforts made by China on the improvement of ecological environment. He pointed out that it was the message sent by Chinese delegation during the forum that China intended to make effort on ecological improvement that made him feel China, as a large country, its sincerity on global ecological protection, and that caused UN decided to undertake a full range of cooperation with China on ecological protection and development. Meanwhile, within 5 months, both sides reached a formal cooperation document and donation agreement, which also reflected China’s high efficiency of organ operation and its resolution on improving the living environment.

Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General shows the MOU after the signing ceremony

      On behalf of the Chinese real estate developers, Wang Shi, Chairman of Vanke made a speech after Steiner. Wang Shi first recalled how he felt when he visited UNEP Headquarters as member of Chinese delegation five months ago. He pointed out that this inspection on UNEP headquarter made him recognize that it was not difficult to really realize carbon-free emission community and the costs was not dear. He said, after his returning to China from UNEP, he would hold a meeting of board of directors to establish a bionics department for the study and application of the latest application of bionics in the buildings. He also revealed that Vanke planed to set up Vanke Bionics Application Exhibition at Vanke Gallery at the Shanghai World Expo held next year to show the achievements and direction of Vanke Real Estate and its bionics. Following Wang Shi’s speech, Han Jiahuan, newly appointed president of SEE made a speech.

      XU Weinan, Chief Executive of Wujin District, made a passionate speech

      As the only city representative specially invited, Wu Jin, draw a great attention at the forum.

      In recent years, Wu Jin has received various honors from the United Nations, which has made Wu Jin become a famous international city from a small southern town, now it enjoys an outstanding international reputation, and is highly valued. In view of its outstanding achievements made on living environment and its growing international reputation, Wu Jin was specially invited by UNEP as a guest of this forum (also the only city representative), and was invited to make a speech.

      In his speech, Xu Weinan introduced the various measures taken and achievements obtained in recent years on living environment in Wu Jin, and also drew a blueprint on its future living environment and ecology. He pointed out that in recent years Wu Jin had not only ranked the first in economic and social development among the 2000 counties and districts in China, but also made great contributions to the environmental development of China. 

      He pointed out: the 1.6 million Wu Jin people, with love for ecology, were unprecedentedly putting themselves into the construction of ecological environment, Wu Jin’s success was not only confirmed by the relevant authority of China, but also gradually highly recognized by international authoritative organizations—from the obtained Livcom Awards in 2007 from UN, the attendance of International Garden City Forum in New Zealand in 2009,  the Livcom Global  Excellent Contribution Award, to the Environmentally Sustainable Development Project Award… one honor after the other, all these proved the success of Wu Jin’s sustainable development strategy, and the achievements thus resulted had been shared by all the people in Wu Jin.

      Mr. Xu’s speech raised applause twice, becoming the focus of the forum.

      China’s Development on Living Environment Entering into a New Era

Li Xiang Meets with Töpfer, the Former UN Under-Secretary-General

      After the successful close of “UN (Beijing) Green Economic Transformation Forum”, in view of the successful cooperation between JCEP and UNEP during nearly ten years, JCEP and UNEP signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding and reached an agreement on certain matters including the “Sustainable Urban Development and Liveable Garden Community - China Programme” (SUC) launched all around in China in 2010, International Liveable Garden Community Global Pilot Construction, cooperation in convening the international conference on the theme of sustainable development, and the establishment of SUC funds. According to this project plan, the UN will select top experts in the field of global sustainable development and study, and form an international experts group to provide a comprehensive guidance to the sustainable development of cities and communities in China; JCEP, commissioned by UNEP, will be in full implementation of UN’s promotion of “Sustainable Cities and Communities” in China, the dissemination of UN’s policies and initiatives, and the introduction and application of new technologies. It is expected that the implementation of this project will benefit tens of millions of people in dozens of cities in China in the next 10 years.  

      It is learned that JCEP will, in early 2010, according to the tender and nomination principles of UN projects, invite 4-5 typical cities and communities and ultimately select one city and one project from them to comprehensively apply the UN ecological city and community standards, and under the overall guidance of UNEP, to build the first “Ecological Zone” and “International Garden Community.” Li Xiang, the SUC project Director-General, said since the signing of Letter of Intention for Cooperation by JCEP and UNEP in mid-August 2009 till the currently officially signed MOU, more than ten famous ecological cities and communities had sent their application, and currently the 2009-2013’s project implementation plan was under way, and JCEP would be very pleased to promote the deep cooperation between UN and Chinese cities and communities in the above mentioned fields.