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Over the past 17 years, the environment sector has gained a prominent
position in the Canadian International Development Agency's (CIDA)
China Program. The environmental portfolio currently accounts for
30% of the Program's funding commitments — a sign that environmental
sustainability is important to both China and Canada. CIDA supports
many projects referred to in this Report Card (see Annex
1).
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"The Council is a superb innovative instrument set up by Chinese
policy-makers, which allows them to draw on the timely expertise
and advice of top environmentalists from China and the world alike."
Len Good
International Vice Chair, CCICED and President of CIDA
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The impetus behind this expanded cooperation can be traced back
to the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment
and Development (CCICED). This project is the flagship of Sino-Canadian
cooperation in environmentally sustainable development and its Council
includes key international organizations such as the United Nations
for Environment Protection (UNEP), the World Conservation Union-(WCU-IUCN),
the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) and the World Bank (WB).
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CCICED recommendations have reached the senior leadership of the
Chinese government and have directly influenced new environmental
legislation, regulations, policies and strategies. Since 1992, nearly
one-third of the Chinese government's actions were either directly
or indirectly related to CCICED recommendations.
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According to Earth Council Chairman Maurice Strong, the CCICED'S
recommendations and the actions of the Chinese government constitute
the world's most impressive response to the 1992 UN conference on
the Environment.
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For example, in recent years China has:
- enacted a comprehensive legal framework to preserve natural
resources and control environmental pollution, including 16 major
environmental laws;
- implemented 362 national and industrial environmental standards
to guide China's managers;
- increased the rate of industrial wastewater treatment from 32%
to 76%.
Last year's CCICED meeting has been held from October 31 to November
2, 2000, in Beijing and has focused on environmental protection
and development of western China. As China embarks on a major initiative
in this ecologically complex area, it is critical to ensure a sustainable
approach to development.
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