CAEC

CHINA-ASEAN ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION CENTER

Issue 11, December 2012

UPDATE 【ASEAN-China Cooperation】

Youth Seminar on Green Economy and Ecological Innovation

On 19-21 September 2012, Youth Seminar on Green Economy and Ecological Innovation under the China-ASEAN Green Envoys Program (GEP) was held in Beijing, China. The seminar was sponsored by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China (MEP), and organized by CAEC. More than 50 representatives from AMS, ASEAN secretariat, UNEP, GIZ, Environmental Defense Fund, Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy of MEP, China Association of Environment Protection Industry, Harbin Institute of Technology and local institutions participated in this event. The special guests who were present at the opening and closing ceremony of the seminar included Tang Dingding, Director-General of Department of International Cooperation (DIC) of MEP, Song Xiaozhi, Deputy Director-General of DIC of MEP, Young-Woo Park, Regional Director and Representative of UNEP ROAP, Zhang Shigang, Representative of UNEP China Office, Zhou Guomei, Deputy Director-General of CAEC, Sun Xuefeng, Division Director for Asian Affairs of MEP, et al. GEP is a flagship cooperation program focusing on public environmental awareness and capacity building between China and ASEAN. Ever since October 2011 that GEP was launched, three exchange activities were organized with the different themes, which are the China-ASEAN Youth Seminar on Green Development for the students, ASEAN–China Workshop on Green Economy & Environmental Management for the government officials, and this seminar for the officials and the entrepreneurs. Through the dialogues and exchanges, China and ASEAN representatives learned the good practices from each other and deepen the mutual understanding, which played a positive role in strengthening regional environmental cooperation and promoting the regional green development. The representatives attending this seminar were also organized to visit the green energy-saving communities and green buildings in Beijing. Besides, part of the representatives visited CAEC, and they discussed and exchanged the ideas for the prospective cooperation issues. ASEAN secretariat and UNEP ROAP both appreciated cooperation and extended their support for the continuity of activities as partners.

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【Regional Cooperation】

CAEC Attended the Eco Expo Asia 2012 On 27-30 October 2012, the Eco Expo Asia 2012 took place at Asia World-Expo, Hong Kong. Jointly organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd. with the support from the Environment Bureau, Hong Kong SAR Government as co-organizer, the Expo is an international trading platform showcases the latest innovations in environmental protection industries from around the world. It is also a premier venue for environmental professionals from business, government and non-government communities to meet and discuss cooperation. This year, over 270 environmental protection enterprises from 14 countries and regions exhibited in the Expo. With “Green Tech for a Low Carbon Economy” as the theme, the Expo will showcase a variety of environmental protection innovations in nine thematic zones, including the Air & Water Quality zone and the Eco-Excellence zone. At the invitation of Environment Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Ms. Zhou Guomei, Deputy Director-General and Mrs. Jia Ning, Division Director of CAEC, as members of MEP delegation attended the Expo. They attended the opening ceremony and the China Mainland and ASEAN Countries Eco Forum where Members of China’s Central, Provincial and Municipal Governments, as well as representatives from ASEAN’s member countries were present. At the Forum, Mrs. Zhou made a presentation about China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation, and discussed with other participants the key cooperation areas for green industry.

【Environmental Protection in China】

CCICED Task Force Inception Meeting on Sustainable Consumption and Green Development The China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) Task Force Inception Meeting on Sustainable Consumption and Green Development was held in Beijing, China on September 21-22, 2012. Mr. Xu Qinghua, Chinese Co-chair of the Task Force, Chief Engineer of MEP and CCICED Vice Secretary General, together with Mr. Michael Kuhndt, International Co-chair of the Task Force and Director of UNEP/Wuppertal Collaboration Center for Sustainable Consumption and Production jointly chaired the meeting.

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Mr. Shen Guofang, CCICED Chinese Chief Advisor and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Dr. Hanson, CCICED International Chief Advisor, Mr. Tang Dingding, CCICED Vice Secretary General and Director General of MEP Department of International Cooperation, Mr. Ren Yong, CCICED Assistant Secretary General and Deputy DG of MEP Department of Human Resources Management, and Ms. Fang Li, CCICED Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Director General of MEP FECO attended the meeting. More than 90 officials and experts participated in the Task Force from both domestic and overseas.

The meeting reviewed the latest research findings on sustainable consumption and discussed the general framework of the research to be completed by the Task Force. Based on the discussions and the background of the Chinese and international experts, the meeting divided the research job and set the overall timeframe. According to the work plan, the second work meeting of the Task Force will be held during January 28-29, 2013. Established upon the approval of the CCICED 2011 Bureau Meeting, the aim of the Task Force is to propose the development strategy for China’s sustainable consumption and serve for the construction of resource-saving and environment-friendly society. According to the work plan, the Task Force will report its final findings at CCICED 2013 Annual General Meeting (AGM).

【Information about CAEC】

Acting Director-General of CAEC Met with UNEP Regional Director and Representative for Asia and the Pacific On 18 September2012, Mr. Guo Jing, Acting Director-General of CAEC met with Dr. Young-Woo Park, Regional Director and Representative of UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (UNEP ROAP) in Beijing, China, during the China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Forum 2012. They exchanged views on environmental cooperation between CAEC and UNEP ROAP. Mr. Guo welcomed Dr. Park to attend the Forum, and expressed his appreciation for the close cooperation between CAEC and UNEP ROAP. He expected that UNEP could continue to support the China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Forum, an important policy dialogue and experience sharing platform in the field of environment between China and ASEAN as well as in the region. Dr. Young-Woo Park thanked CAEC for inviting him to the forum. He spoke highly of the achievements of China-ASEAN environmental cooperation. He also expressed gratitude for the Chinese donation to the UNEP Trust Fund announced by the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012. The donation is aimed at helping NO.1 YUHUINANLU, CHAOYANG DISTRICT, BEIJING 100029, P. R. CHINA │ WWW.CHINAASEANENV.ORG

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developing countries to increase capacity for environmental protection and sustainable development. They agreed that CAEC and UNEP ROAP would work together to develop and implement regional cooperation projects in some areas such as biodiversity and seek support from the Chinese donation to the UNEP Trust Fund.

ACB Officials Visited CAEC During the China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Forum, Ms. Clarissa Arida, Director, Program Development and Implementation Unit,, Dr. Sheila G. Vergara, Director, Biodiversity Information Management, Dr. Monina T. Uriarte, Capacity Development Specialist,, Ms. Sahlee Bugna-Barrer, Publications Officer of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) visited CAEC on 19Sep. 2012. Mr. Guo Jing, Acting Director-General of CAEC met with the ACB delegation. Mr. Guo welcomed ACB colleagues’ visit, and expressed gratitude to the ACB for their support and assistance of the organization of the China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Forum 2012: Biological Diversity and Regional Green development. Mr. Guo made a brief introduction on CAEC, reviewed the progress on the cooperation between the two sides in the field of biodiversity over last year. Ms. Clarissa Arida expressed her satisfaction on the biodiversity cooperation between China and ASEAN. She affirmed that ACB would work together with CAEC to continue advancing the ChinaASEAN cooperation on biodiversity for new achievements. Biodiversity conservation is one of the priority fields of China-ASEAN environmental cooperation. Currently the China-ASEAN biodiversity cooperation is focused on experience exchange, capacity building and joint research.

Officials from Swedish Embassy and Asian Development Bank Visited CAEC On 26 October2012, Mr. Guo Jing, the Acting Director-General of the CAEC, met with Ms. Ulrika Akesson, First Secretary at Embassy of Sweden in Thailand, and Mr. Sumit Pokhrel, senior expert of climate change program from Asian Development Bank (ADB), exchanging opinions on cooperation. Mr. Guo introduced the basic information of CAEC, the cooperation progress achieved

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between AMS and China, and the future vision of environmental cooperation between China and ASEAN. And He respectively provided the concept paper for cooperation to Sweden and ADB, hoping them support China-ASEAN environmental cooperation activities, such as the ChinaASEAN Environmental Cooperation Forum and the China-ASEAN environmental capacity building programs. Ms. Akesson said that the Swedish is willing to strengthen cooperation with CAEC to push for the environmental sustainability in the region of China and ASEAN, they would further confirm the approach of supporting the environmental cooperation between China and ASEAN according to the concept paper proposed by CAEC.

Expert from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Visited CAEC On 21October2012, Dr. Richard Gaba Mitchell, a scholar at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Center for Environmental Economics (NCEE) visited CAEC, and had an academic talk with the researchers in CAEC. Mrs. Zhou Guomei, Deputy Director-General of CAEC chaired the discussions. At the meeting, Dr. Richard Gaba Mitchell introduced the basic information of the NCEE and the research progress of NCEE in the field of environmental economy analysis, and had in-depth discussions with the participants. NCEE offers a centralized source of technical expertise to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as well as other U.S. federal agencies, Congress, universities, and other organizations. NCEE's staff specializes in analyzing the economic and health impacts of environmental regulations and policies, and assists EPA by informing important policy decisions with sound economics and other sciences. NCEE also contributes to and manages EPA's research on environmental economics to improve the methods and data available for policy analysis.

Officials from UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Visited CAEC On 24 Oct. 2012, Mr. Stefanos Fotiu from UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (UNEP ROAP) and his fellow colleagues visited CAEC. Mrs. Zhou Guomei, Deputy Director-General of CAEC, met with the guests. During the meeting, Mrs. Zhou introduced to the guests the undergoing policy researches, technical exchanges and training programs, including the CCICED Task Force on Sustainable Consumption and Green NO.1 YUHUINANLU, CHAOYANG DISTRICT, BEIJING 100029, P. R. CHINA │ WWW.CHINAASEANENV.ORG

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Development and the China-ASEAN Green Envoys Program. As the coordinator of sustainable production and consumption at the UNEP ROAP, Mr. Stefanos Fotiu took a keen interest in the programs conducted by CAEC, and hoped to enhance cooperation between UNEP ROAP and CAEC to further promote the policy research and capacity building in the field of sustainable production and consumption.

CAEC Awarded for Exceptional Contribution to South-South Cooperation The Global South-South Development Expo (GSSD Expo) 2012, hosted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), was held at the Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria, from 19 to 23 November 2012. At the invitation of UNEP, Mrs. Zhou Guomei, Deputy Director-General of CAEC attended the expo and Global South-South Development Forum 2012.

Being the first Expo initiative solely from the South and for the South, the GSSD Expo showcases successful Southern-grown development solutions to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It helps the South realize its shared aspirations for achieving sustainable and equitable development, including through technology transfer and public-private partnerships. This year’s event, under overarching theme “Energy and climate change: inclusive partnerships for sustainable development”, focuses on how renewable energy and climate change are intervolved with development issues and how they affect the South and impact on all of the significant development solutions. Mrs. Zhou made a presentation at the forum and submitted the cases of successful environmental cooperation between China and ASEAN, which received high attention and multi-praise. CAEC was awarded for exceptional contribution to south-south cooperation by UNIDO.

CAEC Attended the “Post-Rio Future We Want in Asia: the SCP Engine” A high level conference on the future of sustainable development in Asia and the role of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) took place in Bangkok, Thailand on 12-13 November 2012. At the invitation of UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (UNEP ROAP), Mrs. Zhou Guomei, Deputy Director-General of CAEC attended the conference and delivered an address focusing on China’s policies and practices on SCP. NO.1 YUHUINANLU, CHAOYANG DISTRICT, BEIJING 100029, P. R. CHINA │ WWW.CHINAASEANENV.ORG

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This conference is organized by the UNEP under the SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component and in cooperation with the Asia Pacific Roundtable on SCP. More than 100 delegates from government agencies, international organizations and academic institutions in Asian countries were presented at the conference. The objectives of the conference are: (a) to review and better define the challenges and opportunities for SCP in Asia in light of the Rio+20 Outcomes; (b) to assess how SCP, Resource Efficiency and Green Economy can be best integrated into national planning and in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); (c) to determine respective roles of governments, the private sector and the civil society as well as relevant partnerships in scaling up and replicating SCP policies; and (d) to identify related practical measures and actions concerning Asian actors and stakeholders.

For further information, please contact: Mr. Peng Bin Director Division for China-ASEAN Cooperation China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Center Tel : +86-10-84615368 Fax: +86-10-84615368 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ChinaAseanEnv.org

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