electra-supply.comOn October 19th, the International Symposium on Sustainable Development, hosted by organizations such as the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and the Beijing International Exchange Association’s Sustainable Development Committee, kicked off in Beijing. The symposium aims to create a global high-level exchange platform that focuses on the theme of “harmony between humanity and nature, peaceful coexistence among people, and integration within ourselves,” while collaboratively exploring global sustainable development strategies and pathways to promote a shared ecological civilization.
The event gathered over 30 international guests and more than 300 domestic experts and scholars.
Liu Zhenmin, China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change Affairs, emphasized in a video address that for over three decades, countries worldwide have been navigating the challenges of finding a clear consensus on the need for a low-carbon, resilient, and sustainable development pathway. He noted the irreversible trend toward a global green and low-carbon transformation, sending a strong signal to the international community to actively respond to global challenges. Liu proposed three key suggestions: first, that nations prioritize the urgency of the climate crisis; second, that they actively promote innovative green and low-carbon transformations; and third, that collaboration through multilateralism is crucial, as achieving global sustainable development goals cannot rely on isolated efforts. He concluded by stating, “While a lone wolf may run fast, a team goes far. Only through open cooperation, fair competition, and mutual benefit can we collectively revolutionize our paths to development.”
Jan Elliason, former UN Under-Secretary-General, praised the symposium’s theme, framing it as a fundamental question of how humanity can coexist harmoniously with all living beings. He expressed concern for the pressing environmental threats facing future development and emphasized the need to find a balance for harmonious coexistence. Elliason commended the meticulous organization of the symposium, which not only showcased international integration but also provided an opportunity for dialogue, hoping it would yield beneficial outcomes for the global community.
Anders Wijkman, Honorary President of the Club of Rome and a member of the UN Environmental Programme’s International Resource Panel, highlighted in his remarks that climate change and ecosystem degradation pose serious challenges. He stressed that the priority of the meeting must be to address these systemic issues in a comprehensive manner and hoped that the symposium would lead to discovering pathways for sustainable development. Wijkman expressed anticipation for participating again next year to further discuss sustainable development possibilities with esteemed global experts.
During the keynote presentations and high-level discussions, attendees engaged deeply with the topics of “Ecological Civilization—Towards a Future of Harmony between Humanity and Nature” and “Synergy and Coexistence—Towards a New Era of Human Civilization.” Wijkman and others provided in-depth analyses on strategies for addressing global climate change and promoting ecological civilization during the first thematic session. A roundtable discussion followed, where participants exchanged ideas on how to tackle the global climate crisis and challenges of sustainable development while fostering an ecologically harmonious world.
The second thematic session featured discussions among experts and scholars centered on the principles of “harmonious coexistence among people” and “integration within ourselves,” exploring collective efforts to establish a shared community of human destiny and consensus on ecological civilization, aimed at creating a world characterized by lasting peace, common security, shared prosperity, openness, inclusiveness, cleanliness, beauty, and sustainable development.
International experts attending the symposium acknowledged China’s achievements in ecological civilization and sustainable development, noting that China can play a more significant leadership role in driving the transformation of the global environmental governance system and addressing sustainable development crises. They expressed their delight at China hosting this event and their desire to deepen partnerships with Chinese collaborators to expand this open cooperation platform, promoting a consensus on ecological civilization and joint action while gathering diverse forces to build a clean and beautiful world.
Throughout the symposium, experts and scholars from various universities, research institutions, and international organizations engaged in in-depth discussions on how to address global climate change and advance ecological civilization initiatives.
The event will also feature five specialized discussions on hot topics such as climate change, ecological communities, ocean development, theories of sustainable development, and artificial intelligence, further fostering widespread conversation on global sustainability.
On October 20th, the symposium will hold a plenary session and closing ceremony to present outcomes, including the announcement of the first selected case studies and creative works related to sustainable development.
