2023 International Forum on Sustainable Ecological Development of the Silk Road Economic Belt

03 11, 2023

From September 18 to 19, the 2023 International Forum on Sustainable Development of Ecology and Environment in the Silk Road Economic Belt took place in Urumqi. The event was hosted by the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Xinjiang Association for Science and Technology, and co-organized by more than 10 organizations, including the Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO). The forum saw participation from more than 300 experts from 17 countries including 5 Central Asian countries, Russia, Iran, Mongolia, and Pakistan.

Under the theme of "Forging Synergies for Development, Jointly Building a Beautiful Silk Road", the forum highlighted the latest achievements in the fields of biodiversity conservation, green agriculture and food security, as well as ecological restoration and governance. It also delved into exploring the establishment of more cooperation mechanisms and the expansion of new cooperation areas, aiming to collaborate closely with scientists from countries along the Silk Road. The goal is to address pressing scientific challenges and promote the green development of the Belt and Road.

Professor Bai Chunli, President of the Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO), addressed the forum via video. He emphasized the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has been developing a Belt and Road scientific and technological cooperation system since 2013, intertwining talents, projects, and platforms. Currently, CAS has established 10 overseas science and education cooperation centers across regions like Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and South America. It has pioneered the creation of ANSO and launched various programs, including international partnership, talent exchange program, and the ANSO scholarship programs.

As a national strategic S&T organization deployed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Xinjiang and targeting the world's arid lands, the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography has consistently prioritized serving and supporting the ecological construction of the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the high-quality development of Xinjiang. Particularly in the past ten years, the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, taking its main responsibility and main task, has collaborated extensively with scientific research institutions in Central Asian and African countries. It has focused on various issues related to resources and ecological environment in arid lands, achieving new breakthroughs in scientific research, platform construction, and talent training. These achievements underscore the robust cooperation and global influence of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography in the domain of ecological resources and environment of arid lands in the world.

President Bai also hoped that this forum can comprehensively foster enhanced cooperation and communication among scientists and entrepreneurs from diverse countries, enabling them to pool their wisdom and expertise, find common ground, and collaborate in the future to overcome challenges and envision a beautiful Silk Road.

During the opening ceremony, eight distinguished academicians and experts delivered keynote speeches. They shed light on challenges posed to the Silk Road’s sustainable development, particularly in areas like ecology, water, food, soil, and biological resources. Their insights also encompassed potential scientific solutions to these hurdles from global and regional perspectives. The forum comprised six sub-forums, which were held in parallel to discuss pressing topics like biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, green agriculture and food security, water resource status and sustainable use, land degradation and desertification prevention and control, ecological monitoring technologies and application, and praticultural resources and sustainable management in arid lands.

Additionally, an exhibition showcased the ecological and environmental S&T cooperation achievements of the Belt and Road, underscoring China's pivotal role and influence in the field of resources and ecology in the Silk Road Economic Belt. The forum culminated in the launch of the Initiative on “Forging Synergies for Development, Jointly Building a Beautiful Silk Road”. It also saw the inauguration of the dialogue Mechanism among the Leaders of China-Central Asia National Research Institutions and collective initiation of a scientific action plan for green development in the Central Asian region.

Land Degradation Prevention in Silk Road Economic Belt

On September 18, 2023, the Sub-Forum on China-Central Asian Countries Land Degradation and Desertification Prevention and Control of the International Forum on Sustainable Development of Ecology and Environment in the Silk Road Economic Belt was successfully held in Urumqi, Xinjiang. The sub-forum was co-organized by the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (China Center for Shanghai Cooperation Organization Environmental Cooperation), the ANSO-Association for Combating Desertification (ANSO-ACD), the International Program Office of ANSO Green Aral Sea Initiative (ANSO IPO), and the Xinjiang Association for Scientific Expedition. The event welcomed over 50 delegates from relevant governmental departments, research institutes, international organizations, and enterprises from China and other countries along the Silk Road.

Representatives from a variety of organizations, including the UNEP-International Ecosystem Management Partnership, the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation (APFNet), the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, the Ministry of Nature Protection of Turkmenistan, the International Innovation Center for Aral Sea Basin under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Kazakh National Agrarian University, King Abdulaziz University of Saudi Arabia, the Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology Foundation (SEE Foundation), and other organizations delivered thematic speeches. Topics included Progress and Experience in the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and Achieving the Goal of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), Ecological Restoration Theory and Technological Innovation, and Best Practices on Desertification Prevention and Green Livelihood Development, among others.

Positioned as a vital segment of the 2023 International Forum on Sustainable Development of Ecology and Environment in the Silk Road Economic Belt, this Sub-Forum on China-Central Asian Countries Land Degradation and Desertification Prevention and Control is designed to exchange practices and experiences in ecosystem protection, restoration, and desertification prevention and control, along with demonstration projects with Central Asian countries. It also aims to facilitate the popularization and application of advanced ecological and environmental protection technologies in Central Asia, thereby promoting the region’s sustainable development.