Guided by the theme “Open, Inclusive and Innovative Cooperation to Build a Clean and Beautiful World” the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place from 10 to 12 October 2024 in Beijing and drew more than 400 high-level experts from government, research, the private sector and civil society.

Chair Huang Runqiu, CCICED Chinese Executive Vice Chairperson and Minister of Ecology and Environment (MEE), opened the plenary session on Thursday. He noted that increased complexity and uncertainty make the need to build a clean and beautiful world more urgent than ever. He emphasized China’s commitment to promoting a more inclusive and healthier planet, highlighting China’s achievements in ecological and environmental protection such as revising environmental laws, enhancing air pollution control, increasing green coverage and land recovery, and investing in clean heating and transitioning to renewable energy sources.

Source: MEE

The AGM discussions drew on proposed pathways and policy recommendations contained in nine “Special Policy Studies” (SPS) undertaken in the preceding year by consortia of Chinese and international researchers. The SPS “Digital-Green Dual Transformation and Sustainable Development of Cities” was co-led by Prof Dirk Messner (President of the German Environment Agency (UBA)) and CCICED Council Member) and supported by the Sino-German Environmental Partnership.

Council Members, Special Advisors, and invited experts underlined the importance of continued leadership on sustainable development and the climate transition amid growing global pressures. They explored this year’s CCICED research, and agreed on CCICED’s annual policy recommendations to China’s government.

On the German side, Ms Ilka Hirt (Deputy Director-General for International Policy; German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV)) in her function as CCICED Special Advisor participated. The Sino-German Environmental Partnership supported the German participation logistically and organisationally.