Concluding Remarks by Ms. Beate Trankmann at the Stockholm+50 Stakeholder Consultation Policy Dialogue

April 29, 2022

UNDP Resident Representative in China Beate Trankmann speaking at the closing of the Stockholm +50 Stakeholder Consultation at the UN Compound in Beijing

尊敬的各位来宾 - 我们三天 很 深刻和 有成效的会议已经结束了。我谨代表UNDP和UNEP,感谢所有嘉宾和发言者的参与,也感谢所有在线上的来宾参加我们的会议。

Dear guests, we have now come to the end of a very rich, insightful and productive three days of discussions.  On behalf of the co-organisers, the UNDP and UNEP, I would  like to offer my sincere thanks to all our panellists and speakers for their contributions, and also to our guests and everyone listening online - for taking the time to join us.

Fifty years ago, in 1972, the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm. That meeting was a landmark occasion – the first time the world recognized the urgency to protect the environment in order to fight  poverty and achieve sustainable development.

The result of that conference was the signing of the Stockholm Declaration and the creation of the UN Environment Programme. It was also the first major conference in which China participated, since the restoration of its seat in the UN. 

Five decades on, protecting our planet and ensuring a greener, more sustainable future for all, has never been more important.

That is why I am so delighted that from the business roundtable and the youth dialogue on Wednesday, to the last two days of policy dialogue, we have brought together stakeholders from across the spectrum of government, academia, private sector and civil society.

Over the past three days we have explored a vast range of concrete actions and suggestions to improve the balance between development and nature, sustainable growth and environmental protection. These actions can help us to chart a new development path, one where nature is an asset, and a low carbon transition is not seen as a cost, but rather an investment in our future.

In particular, I would like to highlight two key themes emphasized over the last three days by both the government and the private sector alike:

First, the key role that science and innovation can play in advancing our understanding of humanity’s impact on the planet and finding the solutions to mitigate it and to restore the natural world. Second, the need to strengthen capacity, as well as to raise awareness for greater impact.

The unprecedented changes - in scale and scope - needed to ensure that we can realize a low-carbon and sustainable future will require us to transform our societies and economies. It will require everyone to play a part: policy makers as well as individuals, consumers, communities, the private sector, civil society and academia. It will require ensuring that no one is left behind.

In this respect, sharing knowledge, fostering openness and transparency are all critical accelerators of this transition. Many of our speakers touched on these aspects at different levels, calling for cooperation - across generations, across different groups of people and regions, government, businesses, and, ultimately, across nations.

As China’s top environment leaders echoed yesterday, if we are to fight climate change effectively, multilateralism is our best option. No one country can do it alone.

Indeed, our discussion over the last three days has been just one part of a larger global conversation on environmental protection that is taking place around the world leading up to the Stockholm +50 international meeting in June.

The main takeaways and insights from our consultation will be compiled in a report which will be made publicly available online in the coming weeks. This report, along with those from other countries, will then feed into a global report for the June conference.

Ladies and gentlemen, as we conclude our national stakeholder consultation today, let us remember that the clock is ticking. We have just eight years left to meet the 2030 Agenda. Stockholm +50 is a key opportunity for the world to come together and accelerate global action to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and combat climate change.

UNDP and UNEP have worked for decades with China on environmental protection, partnering with key ministries and other counterparts. We stand ready to continue supporting all our partners, in the years ahead.

Finally, let me once again express my thanks to all our guests and panellists, to our government partners and in particular MEE, our business roundtable partners - the China International Chamber of Commerce, Business Sweden and PwC and also the Swedish Embassy. It is thanks to all of you that we were able to have such fruitful and insightful discussions!

We will now end with a special message from somebody called Frankie or as he is known in China,  小诚诚(Xiao Cheng Cheng) !