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REPORT ON "CHINA'S AGENDA 21"
Deng Nan
Vice Chairwoman State Science and Technology Commission
Mr. Chairman,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Please allow me to report to the meeting on China's Agenda 21, China's White Paper on Population, Environment and Development of 21st Century (hereafter referred to as China's Agenda 21). Its formulation and implementation are coordinated b y the State Planning Commission and the State Science and Technology Commission.
From the standpoint of the concrete conditions of China and the overall balance between environment and development, China's Agenda 21, which was approved by the State Council at its routine session on March 25, 1994, put forward the overall strategy, policy and implementation plans of promoting the coordinated development of economy, society, natural resources, environment, population and education. It will serve as a guidance document to the government at the various levels in the formulation of their medium and long-term national economic and social development programmes.
The formulation and implementation of "China's Agenda 21" and the embarkation no to the path of sustainable development are actions by the Chinese Government aim ed at not only honouring a serious promise made at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, but also a sure choice made in accordance with the Chinese conditions and the need for future development.
China is a developing country, and is still at the initial stage of industrialization and urbanization. China is faced with the historical task of enhancing her productivity, strengthening her overall national might and improving the people's living standard. In the process, we are faced with enormous serious problems an d difficulties, such as a large population, shortage of resources, ecological deterioration, environmental pollution and a economic structure with high consumption of energy and resources. All these put great pressures on China's development. In future, China can not only attach importance to the development models and ways of life interested only attach importance to the development models and ways of life interested only in the increase in numbers while disregarding the sustainable use of resources. We must take the strategy of sustainable development as the guiding principle, and formulate national development strategy and appropriate policies from the standpoint of prompting the coordinated development of population, economy, society, resources and environment. China's Agenda 21 is such a development strategy.
To summarize, China's Agenda 21 has the following three characteristics:
1. The core of China's sustainable development strategy is development. Economic development and poverty and backwardness elimination are the primary goals and tasks facing the Chinese Government and the Chinese people. Such development is not the development of the traditional models, but a model of coordinated development including the efficient use of resources and energy, clean production and rational consumption, reduction of waste emissions and the coordination of social and economic development with resource and environmental protection.
2. Population, environmental protection and sustainable use of resources are the most important elements in China's Agenda 21.
3. Special attention has been given to capacity building for sustainable development. Education as well as science and technology, policies and regulations, structures regulations, structures reform and mass participation are all very important elements in China's Agenda 21. They are embodied in the goals of and actions aimed at capacity building.
The Chinese government has taken some concrete actions to promote the implementation of the development strategy. The State Council has decided that, as an important document, China's Agenda 21 will guide the formulation of medium and long- term nation economic and social development programmes. At present, its main ideas and content will be reflected in the Ninth Five-year Plan (1996-2000) and in the long-term development programme to the year 2010. The State Council has instructed that the various departments and the government at the various levels should include the relevant items of China's Agenda 21 in their specific programmes.
China's Agenda 21 is the overall strategy of China's sustainable development, which will be implemented through specific programmes. The priority programmes of China's Agenda 21 (the first group) are such specific programmes. They were formulated in accordance with the concrete conditions of China, including population c overage, economy, social background, resources and environment and in the order of their importance and urgency. So far the first group of priority programmes have been worked out. The second and third groups will follow when required.
The first group has 62 priority programmes in nine fields. They are:
Capacity building, which includes legislation, policy formulation, education, training and mass participation for sustainable development;
Sustainable agriculture development, which includes sustainable agriculture development strategy and the establishment of demonstration zones, water efficient agriculture, biological pesticide and the cultivation of green products.
Clean production and environmental protection enterprises which include clean production management, demonstration of importing clean production technologies by some major enterprises and environmental protection enterprises;
Clean energy and transportation development, which include clean coal technology, energy efficiency, development and use of renewable energy and modernized traffic control in the metropolis;
Clean energy and transportation development, which include clean coal technology, energy efficiency, development and use of renewable energy and modernized traffic control in the metropolis;
The protection and utilization of natural resources, which include prevention and control of soil erosion, wetland protection, methods of natural resource accounting, establishment of a dynamic natural resource monitoring network, comprehensive utilization of wastes and mineral resources and the establishment of a commodity exchange;
Environmental pollution control which includes urban water pollution control and waste water treatment for renewable use, restoration of lake water quality, sound management, processing and disposal of solid waste and acid rain control;
Poverty elimination and regional development and realignment programmes which include poverty elimination demonstration projects in poverty stricken areas and regional development programmes which have great potentials and benefits and have attracted world-wide attention;
Population, health, and environment which include demonstration of sustainable development of different types of social entities, family planning, health care, and the prevention of and combat against natural disasters;
Global climate change and biodiversity protection which include climate change, biodiversity protection and prevention and harnessing of desertification;
The priority programmes are the concrete and implementable of the overall strategy of China's Agenda 21. There are clear background introductions, goals, output analysis, action plans and estimates of both investment and output for each project.
China's Agenda 21 is an overall framework, which will not only guide the implementation of the priority programmes, but also guide and coordinate the implementation of the China Environmental Action Plan, the Eight-Seven Poverty Elimination Task Programme, and China's Biodiversity Protection Action Plan.
The implementation of China's Agenda 21 should be supported by relevant laws, regulations and policies. The Chinese Government will make such laws, regulations and policies. The Chinese Government will make such laws, regulations and policies to promote China's sustainable development. We will make full use of them. We w ill also take necessary economic measures so that the principles of sustainable development will not only be embodied in the macro economic regulation and control measures of the government, but also in the day-to-day social and industrial activities. Due consideration will be given to the coordination of economic development with population increase and resource and environmental protection, for example, in streamlining the operational mechanisms of the state-owned enterprises, cultivating and developing the market system, establishing and improving the governmental macro economic regulation and control system, deepening the reform of the rural economic structure, as well as in the structure reform in the field science, technology, education, and foreign trade. We will deepen our reform an d take economic measures so as to guide the government at the various levels, the society and the enterprises to participate in the economic and social activities for capital accumulation through various channels to support environmentally - sound technology, clean production, comprehensive utilization of renewable resources to promote sustainable development.
We will push various departments, government at the local levels, different social strata and masses of people to extensively participate in the process of implementing China's Agenda 21. Special attention will be given to the combination o f the plans of the governmental departments with those of the local government. We will bring the initiative of the government at various levels into full play. We will enhance the people's awareness of sustainable development through mass media and publications as well as the education of university, middle and primary school students. We hope in this way the idea of sustainable development could be deeply routed into the specific activities of different walks of life.
The realization of sustainable development is the common cause of humanity and is a very difficult and long-term task. We all know that there many countries in the world that have laid down their sustainable development programmes in accordance with the conditions of their countries. Our goal is the same although the problems we are facing and the means and ways of achieving the goal may be different. China is willing to cooperate with other countries to achieve such a goal. China is a developing country. Her population amounts to 1 / 5 of the world's total. Her comprehensive national might is still weak. Some places are still faced with the problem of feeding the people. The backward method of exacting the nature in the last 5000 years has resulted in the ecological deterioration and the economic structure that over-consumes energy and natural resources have led to some very serious problems such as a relative shortage of resources and environmental pollution. China faces squarely the difficulties on her road to sustainable development. China has fully recognized that the above problems could only be solved through our own efforts. At the same time, we also hope to solve the problems through our cooperation with the international organizations, and through bi lateral and multilateral international cooperation.
In accordance with the basic ideas and content of China's Agenda 21, China's sustainable development is closely linked with the industrial activities. China will take great measures to readjust her industrial and product structures and to reform the ways of production that over-consumes resources and will develop clean production. With the deepening of reform and opening to the outside world, our cooperation with other countries could be promoted through commercial channels. We gave full consideration the element of international cooperation when out lining the first group of priority programmes. Due attention was given to the international standardization of the format of the project proposals.
The Chinese Government and UNDP cosponsored the High-level Round-table International Conference on China's Agenda 21 in Beijing from 7 to 9 July this year. Chinese Vice-Premier Zou Jiahua, State Councilor Song Jian, and Mr. G. Speth, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UNDP, and Mr. M. Strong, Secretary-General of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, were chairmen of the Conference. During the Conference, Mr. Jiang Zemin, President of China, met with the VIP delegates. He pointed out that the Chinese Government would combine China's Agenda 21 with the national economic and social development programmes in an organic way. At present we would consider to include it in the ninth Five-year Plan.
Participating in the Round-table international Conference were 170 representatives from abroad. They represented governments of more than 20 countries, 13 specialized agencies of the United Nations and other international organizations such as the World BANK< the Asia Development Bank and more than 20 foreign enterprises. There were also more than 200 representatives from China. They came from the governmental ministries, research institutions and enterprises. The overseas representatives gave high regard to China's Agenda 21. In addition, 9 international organizations, 11 foreign governments all 11 foreign enterprises expressed their intent for cooperation of various degrees on 50 of the 62 priority programmes. Some proposed specific amount of assistance to some specific programmes and the specific time of starting the programmes. Some signed Memorandum of Cooperation with us. In the two months after the closure of the conference, some foreign enterprises have successively sent delegations to China to discuss our cooperation.
Ladies and gentlemen, You have shown your interest in the Chinese cause of environmental protection and development. At the second meeting of CCICED last year, Mr. Song Jian reported on the drafting of China's Agenda 21. Some members put forward very good suggestions. The achievements we have made so far also have your input. We hope that he future work of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development will be closely linked with the implementation of China's Agenda 21. We will extensively absorb the knowledge, wisdom and experience of both the Chinese and foreigners so as to do a better work in the future.
Ladies and gentlemen, There is an old saying in China, “everything is hard in the beginning”. The formulation of China's Agenda 21 is a good beginning for China's sustainable development. In future, we will follow the spirit of reform and uninterrupted pursuance. We will march straight forward and strike to avoid detours and mistakes. From now on, with the efforts of several generations, our cause will surely be successful.
Thank you.
REPORTON “CHINA'S AGENDA 21”
"China's Agenda 21: White Paper on China's Population, Environment and Development in the 21st Century" (China's Agenda 21) is the Chinese government's overall strategy, policy and measurement, based on the circumstance of China's situations, environment and development, to promote the integration of development of economy, society, resources, environment, population and education. It was approved in principle by the 16th executive meeting of the State Council on 25 March, 199 4 and is the directive document to the formulation of national medium- and long- term programs for economy and development at various levels of government, and w ill be integrated into "the Ninth Five-Year Plan" and the plans for 2010 future development.
On-stage of China's Agenda 21 is a big event in China's politics and economics, and also significant to global environment and development. Following four parts of the report are presented on behalf of the State Planning Commission (SPC) and the State Science and Technology Commission (SSTC).
I. Rationale of the Chinese Government in Formulating China's Agenda 21
It is the inevitable choice for the Chinese government to formulate and implement China's Agenda 21, and to take the approach of sustainable development in light of China's actual situation.
China is a developing country with a huge population, a relative shortage of natural resources and a rather weak economic foundation. The pressing and arduous t ask facing us at present is to devote our major efforts to economic development and poverty elimination in a soonest possible way so as to raise the living standards of the people.
Since 1978, China has firmly practiced the policy of reform and opening to the outside world. In 1993, we set forth the objectives of establishing a socialist market economy, which marks the beginning of the important transition in China from the traditional planned economy to socialist market economy. The whole China is a vast scene of vigorous development in scientific, technological, economic and social fields. Our people are marching on with great confidence towards a glorious future.
We are fully aware, however, that in parallel with the rapid economic growth, the pressure of population, resources and the environment is also rapidly increasing upon us. We have paid very big price for a two digital economical growth.
China, with its 5,000 years history of civilization, its glorious culture create d and its rich experience gathered, has contributed greatly to the advancement o f the human race. In the meantime, however, China has loaded itself with the heavy burden of excessive population growth, which becomes the key problem to the environment and development. Its backward modes of exploiting from the nature in the past 5,000 years has made this piece of land on which the few countries frequently stricken by natural disasters. It suffers a loss of about 100 billion yuan (RMB) each year by earthquakes, typhoons, storms, floods, droughts, plagues of insects and etc. Moreover, our per capita possession of natural resources is relatively low, for instance, the per capita fresh water possession is only 28% o f the world's average, arable land 32%, forest 14% and grass resources 32%.
The task of economic development is now confronting us. In the early years after the founding of new China, we had almost no industry, and a backward agriculture. The past more than four decades of construction have seen great achievements, and yet are full of detours. The overall industrial level is still low, with high consumption of energy resources, low economic efficiency and poor quality. The coal predominant energy supply has caused serious atmospheric pollution. A total of 36 billion tons of wastewater is discharged nationwide each year, with a rate of pretreatment only 68% for industrial waste water 10% for sewage. Only a bout 30% of solid waste and garbage is duly disposed. The rapid economic development has led to further excessive consumption of resources, and more serious ecological and environmental deterioration.
Development and environment come as a pair of contradiction, helping each other forward while mutually restricting. Improving the environment requires large financial investment. Many countries start their comprehensive environmental treatment after their per capita their comprehensive environmental treatment after the per capita GNP reaches thousands of US dollars, while now the per capita GNP for China is only 400 US dollars. Without addressing the environment problems, however, the environment will become a serious constraint for China's future development. Such is the "dilemma" of choice in front of us.
Out national strength is limited, with the shortage of both funds and technologies. It is therefore very difficult for us to largely increase the investment on ecological protection and environmental treatment.
We have not yet well established marketing system so the productive activities a re somehow following the conventional concept of "quantity first and quality second", and nor the people in their daily life get used to the consumption of integrated utilizing resources. In terms of management system, decoupling of the economic development and environmental protection often occurs.
We do not have the resource advantage and environment capacity as some countries had in their industrialization process. We thus can not repeat the old approach of "pollution first and treatment after wards".
In face of this grim situation, we must be painstaking in exploration and bold in practice with the hope of finding an approach of healthy circle on sustainable development integrating economic development with population, resources, and the environment. This is our only choice.
Formulating China's Agenda 21 so as to implement the sustainable development strategy is the commitment of the Chinese government to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992. More importantly, it is our prudent choice tailored to our experiences, lessons and demands. As such, China w ill mainly rely on ourselves in implementing national Agenda 21, and meanwhile w e expect a close cooperation with the international community. The issue of environment and development is such that China can never be separated from the world, or vice versa. While looking forward to the assistance from the international community, we will not forget our own obligations. We are fully aware that being a big developing nation, we can never solve our problems only relying on outside assistance, no matter how great or how much that is, without our own unremitting endeavor.
The Chinese nation is one that has experienced numerous hardships and our forefathers have numerously pulled themselves out of difficulties. At present, we fin d ourselves in the best time in the history for development. We are ready to strive for "Out Common Future" together with friends of all nations in the world.
II. Drafting Process of China's Agenda 21
In July 1992, the Environmental Protection Commission of the State Council gathered and decided to start formulating China's Agenda 21. The Leading Group was formed with those as the group heads coming from the State Planning Commission an d the State Economic and Technology Commission, and deputy leaders from the Stat e Economic and Trade Commission and the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), with a mandate of organizing and guiding the drafting and implementation of China's Agenda 21 and its consequent priority projects. Under the Leading Group was formed the Working Group involving 52 government sectors and agencies of the State Council and more than 300 experts to draft the Agenda. The China’s Administrative Centre on China's Agenda 21 (ACCA21) was set up correspondingly t o take care of daily management, service and cooperative projects. This endeavor has been highlighted by UND, which has approved the formulation and implementation of China's Agenda 21 as the projects of Capacity Building 21.
It took one year and five months from the start of drafting in August 1992 to t he submission for approval by the State Council in January 1994. The drafting o f the Agenda has been an excellent example of multi-institutional cooperation among government sectors, various local and social organizations. This indicates that it has been a common issue concerning all levels in Chinese society as to how to reach on and operate sustainable development programs. Needless to say, there is still a long way to go in terms of improvement of awareness, unity of thinking and deepening of work to achieve a coordinated development to upgrade depart mental considerations to a state level, and work out the overall strategy including action plans. In October 1993, the International Conference of China's Agenda 21 was held in Beijing for taking extensive comments and suggestions from home and abroad. The Agenda has highly pooled the important thinking and major work of the State Council and all its government sectors in sustainable development, and has a strong role to play as policy guidance on current situation.
In addition to the Agenda, we have also finished the first tranche of the priority projects with the joint efforts of all relevant departments, as action plans and the initiative steps to implement the Agenda.
Ⅲ.The Main Context of China's Agenda 21 and Its Priority Projects
The China's Agenda 21 was completed in April 1993, consisting of 200 thousand Chinese characters and 20 chapters defining 78 program areas. The final document is divided into four main sections: overall strategy for sustainable development; sustainable development of society; sustainable development of economy; and re sources and environmental protection. Each section includes a number of chapters, each with several program areas. Program areas describe the basis for action, major objectives and implementing actions.
Section 1. Overall Strategy for Sustainable Development
This section consists of 6 chapter and 18 program areas including preamble, over all strategies and policies, legislation, financial resources and mechanisms, education and capacity building and public participation. As to the part of the strategy of the establishment of the systems for sustainable policies, laws and regulations, the decision-making process for sustainable development will improve, through the safeguard of the legislation, the participation of women, children and youth, minority nationalities, workers and labor unions and the science and technology community. Also in this section includes the formulation of healthy financial and taxation systems and the associated economic laws and regulations, an d policies of technology, as well as the economic counting system that integrate s the factors of resources and environment. China also plans gradually to establish Agenda 21 Development Funds with support of major donations from home and abroad. Capacity building is the main part for the implementation of China's Agenda 21, particularly training those of policy-makers and administrators at various levels of government sectors. Also capacity building includes to build up of in formation system network to share the information with all users, to improve education system and further develop human resources, and to raise the capability of science and technology.
Section 2. Sustainable Development of Society
This section comprises 5 chapters and defines 19 program areas, referring to the population makeup, development of social services, elimination of poverty, mitigation of natural disasters and the sustainable development of civil environmental quality.
This section stresses on the control of population growth and enhancement of population quality, and on the guidance of people to adopt new way of consumption and living manner. Along with the industrialization and urbanization, China plans to develop small and medium scaled cities and townships to increase society economy and popularize the capacity for employment and promote for development of tertiary industry. Also within this section, we set forth the planning on the construction in cities and countryside to improve land rational use and increasing the capability on self reliance sustainable development in poverty areas to alleviate impoverishment, and to build up an adequate social and economic system to prevent and mitigate natural disasters, and as in the case of environment protection to employ concentrated treatment instead of the existing step-by-step treatment.
Section 3. Sustainable Development of the Economy
The section includes 4 chapters and defines 20 program areas, carrying forward sustainable economic policies, sustainable agriculture and agricultural technologies, and sustainable energy production and consumption, adjusting industrial structures and reducing the pressures on transportation and communication due to industrial development.
The section stresses on promoting comprehensive management systems by marketing mechanism and economical means, and developing of multitransportation to reduce the air emission, using cleaner production techniques to minimize the output of waste, and enhancing of clean coal technology and energy conservation, energy efficiency and other forms of renewable energy sources.
Section 4. Rational Utilization of Resources and Environment Protection
The section consists of 5 chapters and defines 21 program areas that include set ting up management systems for water, and land natural resources conservation an d sustainable utilization, protections on biodiversity and atmosphere, prevention of desertification and the employment of techniques on hazardous solid waste treatment.
This section focuses on the evaluation system of the management and decision-making for sustainable development. With the guidance of science and technology to have comprehensive harness of main river areas and catchment, to improve biodiversity protection legislation, and to extend the network for national reserved conservation parks, China also plans to set forth the information system for monitoring national land desertification and manage to reduce and control the acid rain falls and air pollution by new and advanced technologies.
China completed its Priority Projects for China's Agenda 21 in June 1994. It is based on the fundamental means and major initiative step of implementing 78 program areas in China's Agenda 21 on the order of urgency and importance, and in favor of obtaining international assistance and technological cooperation. These priority projects concentrate on solving the pressing problems for sustainable development, and will strengthen awareness and capacity for participation of business and industry and the general public in China. The 62 priority projects were s elected from more than 500 projects suggested by sectoral ministries, provincial and local governments after extensive solicitation of comments from appropriate government sectors, nongovernmental organizations and experts both in China and abroad. The projects are generally divided into 9 areas, i.e. capacity building; sustainable agriculture; clean production and environmental protection; clean energy and transportation; rational utilization of resources and protection; control of environmental pollution; family planning, human health and residential environment; poverty alleviation and regional development; global change and biodiversity. These areas are of great importance to our national sustainable development.
From the overview of China's Agenda 21 and its associated priority projects, 3 points can be concluded:
1. The China's Agenda 21 expressing the core of the content for sustainable strategy is the development. The main goal and task of the Chinese government and the people is to develop economy and eliminate poverty. Of course, the development we say here is not the one of the traditional model, but the one with the integration of the development of economy, society and resources that will approach t he gradual transition to resource and energy efficiency, clean production and sustainable consumption and reduction of the emission.
2. The issue of population and environment, based on China's own circumstance, is placed in very important position in the Agenda 21, and also the issue of the resources is of our particular focus while promoting China's sustainable strategies. We are approaching the road of sustainable development with limited natural resources.
3 Capacity building is what we specifically pay attention to achieve the goal in the China's Agenda 21 as that is the main portion in the objectives and actions of education, science and technology, policies and regulations, legislation systems and public participation.
Ⅳ. A Few Points on Implementation of China's Agenda 21
China's Agenda 21, as the overall strategy for sustainable development is a blue print for China's future development, and we are going to organize government sectors and local sectors to carry out implementation through our efforts in planning, legislation, policy, publicity, public participation and so on.
1. The State Council has decided that the Agenda as an important directive document will give guidance to the formulation of national medium-and long-term programs for economic and social development. For the moment, the major thinking and contents of the Agenda will be integrated into the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" (1996- 2000) and the long-term program until 2010. According to the arrangement of the State Council, relevant projects of the Agenda will be included in the development programs of all government sectors.
Taking into consideration of our limited national strength, this blueprint will be implemented in a step-by-step way and in the order of importance and urgency, and will be gradually incorporated into all levels of national and local programs. In meantime, we will try to put an end to solve the problem of decoupling the economic development and environmental protection, and manage to gradually raise the proportion of the expenses in GNP for environment treatment.
Various kinds of programs that have been formulated or under formulation will be placed in the general framework of China's Agenda 21 to carry out China's sustainable development strategy, such as the "China Environment Action Plan", "`Eight-Seven' Poverty Elimination and Key Problem Tackling Program"① and "China's Biodiversity Protection Action Plan", etc..
①The "`Eight-Seven' Poverty Elimination and Key Problem Tackling Program" is on e aiming at solving the problems of food and clothes for the 80 million farmers in abject poverty within 7 years between 1994-2000.
2 Programming priority projects. The first tranche of the priority projects of China's Agenda 21 is come out to have attracted interests of many countries and international organizations who have expressed their intention to cooperate with us on a number of projects. The second and the third tranches of the priority projects will also be programmed in future as the actions in promotion of the implementation of the Agenda. The China's Administrative Centre on China's Agenda 21 (ACCA21) will undertake, according to the arrangement of the State Planning Commission and the State Science and Technology Commission, the day-to-day management for programming and implementing priority projects.
3. Formulating and implementing regulations and policies to facilitate sustainable development. The power of laws and regulations, and necessary economic measures will be brought into full play in such a way as to incorporating the principle of sustainable development into both macro-guidance of the government and social and industrial practice in daily life. Coordination of economic development into both macro-guidance of the government and social and industrial practice in daily life. Coordination of economic development with population, resources and the environment will be taken into account in the practices such as transition o f operational mechanism of state-owned enterprises, fostering and development of the marketing system, establishment of a sound government macroeconomics control system, deepening of restructuring the rural economic system, and scientific, technological, educational and trade economic systems, etc. Through the deepening of reform and employment of economic measures, funds from enterprises, from governmental, non-governmental and other sources will be directed to support of economic and social activities favorable to sustainable development such as environmentally sound technologies, clean production, resource renewable and comprehensive utilization, etc.
4. Extensive participation to all strata from all government sectors down to loc al masses of the people. To achieve this, it is called on for a closer cooperation of all government sectors. In addition, in the practice of implementing the Agenda, special attention must be paid to the integrated consideration of central sectors and the locals in such a way as to bring into full play the initiative of local governments at all levels.
The implementation of the Agenda calls for extensive participation of the masses. The common guidelines will be made fully publicized for everyone to abide by a t their will. In this connection, publicity and training will be strengthened to make the Agenda known to all and ensure that everybody truly realizes that the approach of sustainable development is the only way out for the vitalization of t he Chinese nation.
5. Enhancement of international cooperation. As a response to the Agenda 21 of t eh United Nations, China's Agenda 21 is an important component part of the global efforts in leading human society to sustainable development. We welcome the involvement of all countries in the implementation of our Agenda. Your so doing will mean an involvement in the great undertaking of sustainable development of 1/ 4 of the world's population. It is our sincere hope that international cooperation in this regard will ensure the serious implementation of all obligations of U NCED, the strengthening of the capacity of implementing Agenda 21, the provision of adequate and new extra funds as well as the transfer of environmentally sound technologies on a preferential or non-commercial basis to all, including China, developing countries.
The above mentioned international cooperation is established on the basis of mutual reliability and mutual benefit. In promoting the development of our great undertaking of sustainable development of China and the human society as a whole, we are willing to find new joints for cooperation.
Pointed out specifically is the "High-Level Round Table Conference" for China's Agenda 21 that was held in 7-9 July, 1994 in Beijing, organized by the State Planning Commission, the State Science and Technology Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in order to have full extension for world's understanding and participating in the implementation of China's Agenda 21. The Conference was co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier, Mr. Zou Jiahua, the State Councilor, Mr. Song Jian, United Nation's Under Secretary, the administrator of UNDP, Mr. G. Speth and the Secretary General of 1992 UNCED, Mr. M. Strong. 170 foreign participants were from more than 20 countries' government sectors, 13 United Nations organizations and international organizations such as the World Bank, Asian Bank for Development, and more than 20 foreign enterprises. Around 200 domestic participants were from various Chinese government sectors, research institutions and enterprises.
During the Conference, President Jiang Zemin met with the important delegates and made an important speech. President Jiang stressed on the issue of environment and development, i.e. the issue of sustainable development, taken by the Chinese government with extremely earnest attitude and with historical duty. The Chine se government has decided to integrate the China's Agenda 21 into the national economic plans, particularly into the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" (1996-2000).
All participants had discussions on the possible ways of strengthening the international cooperation for implementing China's Agenda 21 and the associated priority projects. There are 9 international organizations, 11 foreign government sectors and 11 foreign enterprises and non-government organizations who has paid co operative tendencies at various degrees on 50 projects among total 62 priority projects. Some projects had the proposed investment with the amount of funding and the tentative initiation time, and some has signed MOU for further cooperation.
The Conference has achieved full success, and is considered as the most important international conference after the 1992 UNCED and the most significant activity for the global environment and development.
The approach of sustainable development is the glorious task entrusted upon us b y history. With the spirit of reform and continuous practice, we will march forward courageously trying to avoid detours and mistakes in our way. Starting from the present, and with unremitting efforts of generations, our undertaking will b e surely crowned with success.
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