Belt and Road countries join hands to combat desertification

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China will work with other countries, including Pakistan, India and Saudi Arabia, to explore an effective long-term solution to fight against desertification, said Pan Yingzhen, director of the Desertification Control Bureau under the State Forestry Administration.

Pan made the comments during the 13th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP13) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which took place from September 6-16.

The conference launched a new strategic framework appealing for international cooperation with countries taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative. China will also join hands with a group of international organizations to control desertification, further strengthen technological cooperation and promote exchanges to boost green economies in the region, said Pan.

According to Zhang Jianlong, director of the administration, it will help countries and organizations cooperate on financing, data-sharing, professional training and learning from each other.

International guests of the COP13 China talk beside a flower bed. /China Daily Photo

"It shows China's wisdom of absorbing international experience to promote sustainable development," Zhang said. "We will devote ourselves to desertification prevention and control, and appeal for more international cooperation in countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative."

In the past five years, 29.8 million hectares of desert in China have turned green, and a total of 11.6 billion trees have been planted, according to the administration.

"The new strategic framework will promote fair and impartial development of UN member states. Through introducing green development concepts and technologies, it will deepen exchanges in the economy as well as other fields among countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative," said Monique Barbut, UNCCD's executive secretary.

China appeals to fight against desertification. /VCG Photo

The Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Fund was also launched during the conference, with an initial target size of 300 million US dollars.

The LDN Fund is a first-of-its-kind investment vehicle leveraging public money to raise private capital for sustainable land management and land restoration projects worldwide.

It will invest in bankable projects on land rehabilitation and sustainable land management worldwide, including sustainable agriculture, sustainable livestock management, agroforestry, sustainable forestry, renewable energy, infrastructure development, and eco-tourism.

Source(s): China Daily