12.  The duration of CCICED (Phase Ⅳ) will be five years from 2007 to 2011.

13.  The Council will consist of about 40 high-level Chinese and international members. Chinese members will be ministers, vice-ministers, renowned experts and eminent scientists from related area or sectors. International members will be of comparable status. The Council Chair will be held by a leader of the State Council of China. The Vice-Chairpersons will be nominated and invited by the Chinese government, with agreement by the Council Meeting.

14.  The operational components of the Council (Phase IV) include:

1)        The Bureau and Bureau Meeting

2)        The Executive Vice Chairpersons

3)        The Secretary General, and Deputy Secretary Generals

4)        The Secretariat and the Secretariat International Support Office

5)        The Chinese and International Chief Advisors

15.  Normally the term of Council membership is five years. However, a Council member who is absent from Council activities for two consecutive years forfeits his or her membership automatically. Under special circumstances, appropriate adjustments could be made to the Council membership according to the approval procedure defined in the Rules of Procedure of the Council.

16.  The Council Members shall possess influence and engage in the Council’s affairs in their personal capacity. The members shall be ready to contribute their time and wisdom to the Council’s work, including:

1)        Participating in the Annual General Meeting every year;

2)        Joining the debate on policy issues during the Annual General Meeting;

3)        Offering their guidance and thinking to policy studies organized by the Council;

4)        Reviewing the policy study outputs when requested;

5)        Chairing Task Forces or Special Policy Studies when requested;

6)        Promoting the Council to other international institutions and to the public.

17.  In principle, the Council Annual General Meeting will be held once every year. A theme will be selected for each annual meeting of the Council to discuss. If necessary, the Council Chairperson could call special meetings of the Council after consultation with other vice chairpersons.

18.  A Round Table Meeting between the periods of two Annual General Meetings will be held in Phase IV to promote the dissemination and exchange of the Council’s policy research outcomes with a broader group of stakeholders. The Council shall invite central and local government policy makers, representatives of the private sector, as well as experts and scholars to participate.

19.  The Council shall invite representatives of private sector companies with a commitment to the environment and development to participate in a private sector forum.  The forum will provide an opportunity to share information on the Council’s policy studies and to seek private sector input on the Council’s policy recommendations.  

20.  The Council shall hold other public event such as policy seminars or forums to further extend the Council’s influence.

21.  Special Observer status will be granted to international organizations, institutions or companies that demonstrate a strong interest in the environment and development in both China and the world, and that are willing to contribute to the Council’s work.  Special Observers will be invited to send representatives to participate in the Annul General Meeting and other events.

22.  Governmental officials at Chinese central and local levels, experts, entrepreneurs, NGOs, and representatives of international institutions, who are associated with the work of the policy study or the theme of the year, may be invited as special guests or observers to attend the Annual General Meeting or other meetings.

23.  The policy recommendations and other outputs of the Council should be submitted to the Chinese Government and disseminated to a wider audience through various channels, so as to foster further research, encourage their adoption and implementation, and thereby extend the influence of the Council. Such channels should include, but not be limited to, the following:

1)        The Chairperson of the Council submits them to the State Council and to relevant government departments;

2)        The State Environmental Protection Administration submits them to other relevant government departments;

3)        The Secretariat of the Council forwards the recommendations of the Task Forces to relevant departments;

4)        Other channels, such as the media, news conferences, workshops, website, and publications should be utilized to disseminate the Council’s activities and outputs to a wider audience.