In-depth

UNDP works with key stakeholders in China, including the government and the public, to address environmental concerns in the country in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), China’s 13^th Five-Year Plan while also fulfill its commitment towards multi-lateral environment agreement.

Under the Energy & Environment focus area, the Country Office has ran portfolios including Biodiversity Conservation; Climate Change Mitigation; Montreal Protocol;  Chemicals and POPs Management; Alternative Livelihoods & Renewable Energy; and the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme.

Biodiversity Conservation

In line with the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, UNDP cooperates with central government ministries including the State Forestry Administration [SFA], State Oceanic Administration (SOA), Ministry of Environmental Protection [MEP] and the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), as well as local governments in more than 20 provinces to protect China’s biodiversity and ecosystem. By implementing biodiversity and ecosystem conservation projects, providing technical assistance and sharing international experiences for policy mainstream and legal reform, capacity building, public awareness, promote PPP and pilots for the soundness of biodiversity and ecosystems in China. Read more.

Montreal Protocol, Chemicals and POPs Management

As the lead agency for the HCFCs (Hydro chlorofluorocarbons) phase-out plans in the Industrial and Commercial Refrigeration and Air-conditioning (ICR) and Solvent sectors, UNDP has been working with the Foreign Economic Cooperation Office Ministry of Environmental Protection (FECO/MEP) in extending a new stage of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) phase-out for compliance with the Montreal Protocol and on curbing the releasing of POPs through establishing policy and regulations and introducing and demonstrating innovative industrial practices. Read more.

Alternative Livelihoods and Renewable Energy

Together with government partners, private sector and civil society, UNDP has been working on demonstrating sustainable approaches for livelihood improvement of vulnerable groups while restoring local environment through showcasing sustainable farming and water resources management. 

At the same time, this portfolio has also been working on promoting the development and wider adoption of renewable energy, especially biomass energy through public-private partnerships, to unleash the potentials of targeted poverty alleviation through development of biomass energy.

In order to mitigate climate change, UNDP China has also been engaged over a decade in introducing and promoting demonstration and commercialization of fuel cell vehicle technology, based on which an innovative umbrella programme, China Hydrogen Economy Pilots, has been developed to facilitate a shift to a sustainable and low carbon pathway in China. Read more.

Climate Change Mitigation

To improve China’s compliance towards the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) and its Kyoto Protocol, UNDP’s collaboration with government ministries including the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MOST) and Ministry of Agriculture (MOA], Ministry of Finance (MOF), National Government Offices Administration (NGOA) and local counterparts and related Associations to promoting energy efficiency practices in industries including lighting, buildings, logistics and motors by establishing technical standards, adjusting institutional arrangements alongside capacity building and demonstration to reduce the emission of GHGs in China and help mitigating climate change. Read more.

GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP)

With the goal to support “ the creation of global environmental benefits and safeguarding the global environment through community-based initiatives and actions, the GEF SGP, implemented by UNDP, aims to provide financial and technical support to communities and civil society organizations (CSOs) for their activities on Biodiversity Conservation, Climate Change Mitigation, Land Degradation, International Waters and Chemical management at local level.

The programme works on reaching the poorest and most vulnerable communities, and empowering the local NGOs/CSOs to participate in the global environmental issues and civil society development in China, also helping the NGOs/CSOs to develop their capacity for sound nature resources management and sustainable livelihood. Read more.