On January 29, Professor Li Fengmin and Professor Xiong Youcai from the Lanzhou University (LZU) visited the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at its invitation and met with the heads of major UNEP departments. They discussed over the progress of cooperation and jointly formulated the cooperation plans. This is the first annual meeting since the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the two sides in January 2013. Director Mahesh Pradham from the UNEP Environmental Education and Training Division and Director Levis Kavaji from the Ecosystem Assessment Center co-chaired the meeting, during which the two sides fully discussed over the implementation of the memorandum and formulated the cooperation plan for 2015.
Mr. Mahesh Pradham referred that the UNEP valued the LZU for its distinguished achievements in the field of arid agricultural ecology and that the cooperation in the management of sustainable environment and educational innovation in light of the climate change issue would do both sides great benefits. Mr. Pradham highlighted that the two sides had reached agreements on the cooperation in the six fields, including ecological system assessment and management, arid agriculture development and innovation, community administration of arid suburb areas. The two sides agreed on carrying out substantive cooperation under the memorandum and issuing annual reports on time. LZU launched a lot of technological development and research and training, which has been well-received as an important part of the bilateral cooperation. The meeting was held to review on the past and develop the cooperation plan for 2015.
Besides, Director Pradham invited the LZU representatives to attend the GUPES meeting, which will be held in Sweden in June, and deliver speeches. LZU invited Mr. Pradham and Mr. Levis Kavaji to visit LZU this year at convenience, so that the two sides could further exchange opinions on cooperation.
(Translated by Wei Xianchao; proofread by Sissi Xu)
