21 April 2016, Zhengzhou, Henan, China — APN’s 21st Joint Inter-Governmental Meeting and Scientific Planning Group Meeting (IGM/SPG) successfully concluded today in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan, China.
The Meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China (MOST), and jointly organised by The Administrative Centre for China’s Agenda 21 (ACCA21) and the Department of Science and Technology, Henan Province.
The IGM approved the work programme and budget plan for fiscal year 2016 (April 2016 to March 2017) and approved funding for 12 new/continuing projects under the Collaborative Regional Research Programme (CRRP), 10 new/continuing capacity development projects under its capacity building programme CAPaBLE, and approved conditional funding for 12 continuing projects under the Climate Adaptation Framework (CAF), based on recommendations from its Scientific Planning Group (SPG) and Capacity Development Committee (CDC). The full list of projects to be funded in fiscal year 2016 will be officially announced in May 2016.
The IGM also considered and approved plans for conducting the following activities in the year ahead, which includes a scoping workshop on transfer of technologies related to global environmental change, collaboration with the Hyogo Prefectural Government on the topic of satoyama and enclosed coastal seas, continued engagement in international science-policy platforms and networking with LoCARNet/LCS-RNet, among others.
The Meeting also discussed strategies for future development, including how to scale up and develop innovative partnerships with member countries, international agencies and research institutions based in developed and developing countries.
A session on Climate Change Adaptation Strategy of Science and Technology Development in China was organised as an interactive component of the IGM, where participants heard reports and presentations on state-level adaptation strategies and related case studies from scientists and researchers from ACCA21, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Lanzhou Information Center Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, and Tsinghua University.
This was followed by an APN-Henan Networking Session, where speakers from Zhengzhou University and Yellow River Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd. shared their latest research results in the area of climate change that are conducted by local scientists from Henan Province. Poster presentations by young scientists was organised as part of the Networking Session to provide an opportunity for young scientists from China to present their work to distinguished scientists and policy makers from the APN community. Dr. Lu Heli, College of Environment and Planning, Henan University was awarded the Mitra Award for Global Change Research in recognition of his outstanding work on “A Spatially Explicit Modelling Framework of Cost-Benefit and Carbon Emissions from Land Use Coverage Changes for Implementing REDD+ in Southeast Asia”.
Invited speakers from IPBES, LoCARNet/LCS-RNet and the Swedish International Development Cooperation (SIDA) made presentations on their work with relevance to APN. It is hoped that such exchange of information would open up opportunities for further strategic collaboration and partnerships with APN in the future.
The L. B. Brown Memorial Photo Contest, which ran monthly from May to December 2015 in memory of late Mr. Luis B. Brown (former national Focal Point for the USA and Steering Committee member of APN), culminated in this IGM as participants voted for the annual winner from all the monthly winning photographs. Mr. Mohammad Rakibul Hasan was awarded the annual L. B. Brown Memorial Award for his photograph submitted under the theme of “Water for Sustainability”.
A tai chi performance was organised by the host at the welcome reception. Led by Mr. Chen Zhenglei — 19th generation of the Chen family and 11th generation direct-line successor of Chen-style tai chi — the performance offered participants a glimpse of the profoundness of Chinese culture.
For more information please contact:
- Dr. Linda Anne Stevenson, Head, Division of Communication and Scientific Affairs, APN Secretariat, email: [email protected]
- Mr. Yukihiro Imanari, Head, Division of Development and Institutional Affairs, APN Secretariat, email: [email protected]
- Mr. Xiaojun Deng, Programme Officer for Communication and Development, email: [email protected]
- Dr. Xiaojia He, The Administrative Centre for China’s Agenda 21, China, email: [email protected]
- Ms. Xiaoqian Liu, Department of Science and Technology, China, email: [email protected]
