The Priority Programme for China's Agenda 21
( Revised and Expanded Version)
Introduction
China's selection of a strategy for development in moving forward towards the 21st century was reinforced by the Rio Declaration in 1992, which focused the attention of the world on the imperative of sustainable development and which precipitated the formulation of China's Agenda 21. The Priority Programme for this agenda is embodied in a set of projects that respond to the country's pressing developmental needs within the framework of sustainable development principles.
This programme was organised by the State Planning Commission and the State Science and Technology Commission to concentrate the energies of organisations and individuals and to serve as a guide for international cooperation. The projects are aggressively promoted by ministries, commissions and other agencies concerned with the country's economic and social advancement.
Since the first tranche of the Priority Programme was launched at the First International High Level Round Table Conference in July 1994, many international organisations have supported and participated in its projects: the United Nations agencies, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, foreign governments and firms. International support has been provided for 36% of these projects, such as the sustainable development of Mountain-River-Lake in Jiangxi province and cleaner production in Benxi city. Another 33% of the priority projects are under negotiation.
Experiences gained during the promotion of the first tranche have been instrumental in the design and selection of projects for the second round. Some projects have been modified as a consequence of rapidly changing economic conditions and new insights gained during the earlier promotional efforts. The selection of priority projects for the Second International High Level Round Table Conference on China's Agenda 21 is predicated on the following principles:
- Of the first tranche, those projects either in the process of execution or negotiation are included;
- The contents of some selected projects is redesigned to meet international standards, to justify the need for international cooperation, to facilitate project execution and to attract more industrial and commercial participants;
- In accordance with the principles of China's Agenda 21, projects are selected from over 300 new proposals by ministries, commissions and local governments, after comprehensive expert appraisal.
The current tranche of the Priority Programme contains 128 projects, 63 unchanged from the original, 19 revised and 46 added. For details refer to appendix. In this edition only the revised projects are included. The unchanged projects can be found in the first edition.
The characteristics of the revised Priority Programme reflect the process of selection and refinement described above:
- Almost all projects are included in either the national or local government's Ninth Five-Year Plan for economic and social development;
- Projects of middle and western China are added to promote the development and sustainability of these areas;
- Projects in ethnic areas such as Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Hainan and Yunnan, and of non-governmental organisations are added to broaden social participation;
- Capacity-building and demonstration projects are enhanced;
- Sustainable tourism projects are added;
- The projects are more executable and attractive to industrial and commercial investment and participation.
Under the leadership of the State Planning Commission and the State Science and Technology Commission, revision of the Priority Programme for China's Agenda 21 has been completed after one year's effort. The programme demonstrates China's resolve to honour its pledge, offered at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, to implement its strategies for sustainable development. The Chinese government hopes that this commitment will inspire the international community to cooperate enthusiastically in a much wider field, in the pursuit of sustainable development in China, in the Asian Pacific region and across our globe.
Introduction
Priority 1 - Capacity Building for Sustainable Development
1 - 1A Formulation and Amendment of Laws for China's Sustainable Development
Priority 2 - Sustainable Agriculture
Priority 3 - Cleaner Production and Environment Industry
Priority 4 - Clean Energy and Transportation
Priority 5 - Conservation and Sustainable Utilisation
of Natural Resources
Priority 6 - Environmental Pollution Control
Priority 7 - Combating Poverty and Regional Development
Priority 8 - Population, Health and Human Settlements
Priority 9 - Glogal Change and Biodiversity Conservation
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