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China and GEF: 25 years of collaboration for sustainable development

News
August 18, 2016
Shanghai, China
Shanghai, China

By Shi Yaobin, Vice Minister of Ministry of Finance, People's Republic of China

In 1991, the world came together, with hopes and expectations, to establish the Global Environment Facility to address global environment issues. In 2016, the GEF’s 25th Anniversary gives the world an opportune moment to both celebrate past achievements  as well as identify opportunities and challenges ahead.

Over the past 25 years, the GEF has stood the test of time by leading progress that has been made in the sustainable development arena. Since its beginnings in 1991, the GEF has protected a large share of the earth's total surface and international water areas, and helped   countries   avoid   C02  emissions.  The   GEF   finance   has supported climate-friendly technologies and disposed or cleaned up waste and pollutants. Today, the GEF is the world's  largest public funder of environmental  projects, and the financial  mechanism for the Rio Conventions and other multilateral agreements. It is widely acknowledged that, in many ways, the GEF is needed more than ever for a more sustainable world.

Over the past 25 years, as a founding member, contributing country and recipient country of the Facility, China has carried out productive   cooperation   with   the   GEF.  The   GEF   has  to   date supported 148 projects and provided over USD 1.14 billion as new and additional grants in China. These projects have covered a wide range of activities and scopes including new concepts and ideas, capacity building, new institutional and legal system development, business model innovation, advanced   technology   transfer,  new financial mechanism initiative, and technology demonstration and scaling up. In addition to funding, the GEF has been introducing advanced concepts to China, increasing the country's capacity to implement   international   environmental   conventions   and   raising public awareness on sustainable development. China's success in implementing GEF projects or programs has contributed to GEF's mission of  maximum  global  environmental benefits. And  we take pride in the fact that the GEF financed activities in China have been demonstrated as jewels in the GEF portfolio. The success in China also provides useful experience for other developing countries. For example, the PRC-GEF Partnership on Land Degradation in Dry Land Ecosystem Program has successfully introduced and developed the  concepts  and  methodologies  of  integrated  ecosystem management, which stands as a good showcase for areas in central Asia and Africa to combat land degradation.

Standing at a new starting point, the international community is working  on  a forward-looking  and ambitious  agenda  on sustainable development. The GEF can play a substantial part in the implementation  of this agenda by contributing  to the protection of the health of the planet, from the climate to oceans, water, land, biodiversity and forests. "All things live in harmony and grow with nourishment". Chinese culture values harmony between human and nature and respects nature. Ecological endeavors will feature prominently in China's 13th Five-Year Plan. China will work hard to implement the vision of innovative, coordinated, green, open and inclusive development, which is consistent with the ardent aspiration for sustainable development  of people  all over the world.  We are ready to continue to work with the GEF in a joint effort to pursue global sustainable development at a higher level.

Countries

China

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