UNEP Representative: City Promotes Sustainable Development, and China is Taking Actions

On March 6, "Re:Think 2022 Smart Cities and Resilient Future" conference co-hosted by the United Nations Development Programme and Chengdu High-tech Zone Administrative Committee was held in Chengdu. Beate Trankmann, UNDP representative in China, attended the conference and delivered a speech. In her speech, Beate said, "Cities harbor the innovative and forward-looking policies and solutions we need to address the challenges of the 21st century, and we can also breathe new life into the process of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals." After the conference, Arden White was interviewed by International Online.

Cities: the key to achieving the SDGs

As part of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the SDGs call for the world to act together to end poverty, protect the planet, and improve the lives and futures of all people, said Trankmann. She reiterated the SDGs' commitment to "leave no one behind.

The conference's focus on resilient cities, and on creating more inclusive, smarter, livable and resilient cities of the future, takes into account the significant contribution that cities can make to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. "Cities are key to achieving the SDGs," according to Trankmann, "They house some 4.4 billion people worldwide, and the level of urbanization is increasing globally." As cutting-edge scientific, political and cultural centers, cities can provide the conditions "to drive the innovation needed to accelerate progress toward the SDGs. At the same time, cities create significant carbon emissions and energy consumption. Therefore, "reducing the energy consumption and increasing the sustainability of urban lifestyles and infrastructure is the fastest way to achieve global emissions reductions. Through the day's sessions, Trankmann hopes to inspire much-needed action by various stakeholders in cities - the financial sector, industry, government, academia and other actors - to work together to advance resilient cities and accelerate progress toward the SDGs.

Taking Action: China's Solution for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Having understood the importance of cities in driving the sustainable development process, how can cities actually contribute to the achievement of the SDGs? Trankmann affirmed the actions and programs of Chinese cities. She noted, "China's urbanization rate has reached about 64 percent, and cities have made significant contributions to sustainable development."

Chengdu, the host of Re:Think, has partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to launch a sustainable development innovation demonstration project and set up the first UNDP Sustainable Development Innovation Lab in China back in 2019. In addition to Chengdu, there are many other cities in China that are implementing resilient cities to promote sustainable development, according to Trankmann.

She first mentioned Shenzhen's Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) accounting system. The system "regularly accounts for and publishes the results of the Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP)", which provides a visual representation of the contribution of ecosystems to urban production and life. Today, more than 100 counties and cities have applied the system, which, says Trankmann, "remains a global leader in the GEP field."

In addition, local governments in several cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Qingdao, have worked with UNDP over the long term to create more than 10 demonstration sites that aim to "reduce the energy consumption of China's public buildings and the services they provide through the adoption of energy efficiency and conservation technologies.

"The 14th Five-Year Plan also proposes to "promote green development" and "improve the quality of urbanization". At present, high-quality development is the top priority for China to build a modern socialist country. Trankmann said her understanding of China's high-quality development and the 14th Five-Year Plan is to "advance economic, social and environmental development to achieve inclusive and sustainable development outcomes. This coincides with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.