The 2007 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (hereinafter referred to as the CCICED) was convened in Beijing in November 28~30. During the meeting, our correspondent had an interview with the Secretary-general of the CCICED, Mr. Zhu Guangyao.

Q:  CCICED is faced with a string of major changes including the coming of the new phase. How do you comment on the work of the CCICED in the transitional period? What progress has it made in this year?

A: The Work of CCICED in 2007 was in a crucial transitional period. Under the full support of the Chinese government as well as the full cooperation and facilitation of major domestic and international cooperation partners and donors, the establishment work of CCICED in the new phase has been successfully completed, the policy research work during the transitional period has been progressing steadily, the operational fund for the next five years has all been in place, the cooperation relationship with domestic and foreign partners has been further developed, the CCICED is further widening its influence, and the CCICED in the new phase has been successfully launched. The effective work in this year gave a good start to the work of CCICED in the new phase.

Reviewing the work of CCICED in 2007, we can find that it has three outstanding features: first, the Chinese government is paying more attention to the work of the CCICED. Premier Wen Jiabao clearly stated that CCICED should be carried on in the long run when meeting with International Council Members, while Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan also put forward higher and more specific requirements over CCICED's work. Related departments under the Chinese government are offering more support to CCICED. Second, CCICED is exerting more and more influence both at home and abroad with ever-growing number of cooperation partners and receiving more and more attention to its work results. Third, the daily management and operation of the CCICED has been further regulated, the capacity of CCICED Secretariat has been strengthened, and the work of the chief advisor has played a vital role, all building a sound foundation for the work of CCICED during the next couple of years as well as its long-term development.

The Chinese and International Experts undertaken the research work of various Task Forces and special policy research have teamed up in conducting research works. They have overridden numerous difficulties and fulfilled the research tasks entrusted by CCICED on time and have presented a lot of valuable policy recommendations, which has built the foundation for the success of the AGM of the CCICED. Among them, the programs having been established and with research works finished in 2007 include the Task Force on the Policy Mechanism for the Realization of the Environmental Target of the 11th Five-Year Plan, the Task Force on Global Experience and Chinese Countermeasures over the Strategic Transformation of Environment and Development and the Task Force on the Environmental Management Strategy of Chemicals. The Task Forces having been established and to report to the 2008 AGM are the Task Force on Innovation and Environment-friendly Society and the Task Force on Environment and Health.

Under the support of related donors, CCICED held the Workshop on the Low Carbon Economy and China's Energy and Environment Policy in April of 2007. Officials and experts from countries like Norway, the Great Britain, Sweden, the US, Japan, Germany, Canada, India and the EU and international agencies and organizations including the ADB, the WB, the IPCC, UNDP and GEF as well as related governmental departments of China were invited to attend the Workshop to carry out in-depth deliberation and exchange of views over issues like the development tendency of domestic and international energy and environmental policy, countermeasures of global climate change, low carbon economy and energy efficiency, and the recommendations drawn up has been submitted to high-ranking officials and related departments of the Chinese government for reference.

Q: CCICED has carried out its environmental research work closely focusing on China's social and economic development ever since its establishment 15 years ago. The 17th National Congress of the CPC placed environmental protection onto a more important strategic position, so what challenges and requirements does this move pose to the future work of CCICED?

A: The Terms of Reference adopted at the 2007 AGM of CCICED brings forward new requirements on the overall goal for CCICED in the new phase in line with the change of global environmental situation and the request on the environmental protection works of China. CCICED will carry out our work as per these new requirements.

CCICED has accumulated sound work experience during the past 15 years. Under the new situation and faced with new requirements, the following aspects should be especially underscored in doing various work of CCICED:

First, the work of CCICED should be more closely connected to the actual need of the Chinese government. The fundamental tenet and the starting point of the CCICED are to work in accordance with the requirements of the policy on environment and development in China. The 17th National Congress of the CPC has made important strategic deployment over the future development of China and put forward the idea of promoting the historic transformation of environmental protection, which are the major backdrop for CCICED to carry out works in the next couple of years. The work of CCICED should closely track a string of major strategic deployment staged by the Chinese government, do research on the potential situation and problems in translating these deployments into actions, lodge corresponding policy recommendations and early-warning policies and fully play the role of CCICED as a high-level policy advisory body for the Chinese government.

Second, CCICED should be more concerned about the interaction and interrelation between environment and development of China and that of the world. The environment and development is ever-increasingly connected to economic globalization, hence the promotion of China's sustainable development forms a crucial part in similar cause across the globe. The work of the CCICED in the next few years will be more concerned about some of the major fields and major problems relating to global environment and development such as energy and environment and climate change.

Third, the role of CCICED in providing policy recommendations should be stepped up. CCICED will establish more effective mechanism to ensure various governmental departments and local governments to better understand and participate in the working process of CCICED and enable decision makers at all levels to know about the policy recommendations of CCICED and adopt them in their decision in a bid to enhance the popularization and application of such recommendations and fully exert and maintain the influence of the CCICED on environment and development related decision making process of the Chinese government. CCICED will also invite the participation of all stakeholders in its activity in the forms of roundtable meeting, etc. to stimulate the popularization and exchange of the policy research results of CCICED to a broader scope.

Q: Subject to the request of the Terms of Reference of CCICED in the new phase, what are the major work areas for CCICED in 2008?

A: the convocation of the 2007 AGM marks the full initiation of the work of CCICED in the new phase. Presently, the major work arrangements of CCICED in 2008 have already been adopted by the Bureau's Meeting of CCICED including the following items:

The first is the policy research work. The Task Force on Innovation and Environment-friendly Society and the Task Force on Environment and Health have both been set up and will complete the research work in 2008. The Bureau Meeting of CCICED has already approved the establishment of different new Task Forces in the sector of energy and environment to conducting their research work in 2008~2009. These Task Forces include the ones on the research on market-based mechanism for improving resource and energy efficiency, research on the policy for energy efficiency in the building and transportation sector in urban development, research on the approaches for the development of low carbon economy in China, research on the policy on energy, environment and adaptation to climate change in rural development in China and the research on policy over sustainable use of coal and pollution control. A string of policy recommendations will be tabled in the sector of energy and environment for reference of the Chinese government based on these researches.

The second is the planning and organization of the AGM and the roundtable meeting of CCICED. The 2008 AGM themed on "Organizational Innovation and Harmonious Development" is slated for November 12~14 of 2008 in Beijing. The roundtable meeting will be held at the intervals of two AGMs, aiming to spread the policy recommendations and research results of CCICED to various departments, local governments and international community. The Bureau Meeting has already approved the convocation of the first roundtable meeting in the first half of next year.

The third is the employment of diversified methods in developing new partnership, promoting the spreading of the fruits of CCICED and furthering its influence both at home and abroad. Related work will include augmenting the communication with various departments under the State Council to get to know the key points and priority areas of the policy requirements of the Chinese government; exploration of extensive contact with Chinese and foreign institutions and the private sector to better build up cooperation partnership; and make full use of the publications and the website of CCICED for the spreading of its work results.