CCICED Task Force on Environmental Protection and Social Development held the 2nd joint meeting in Xi’an of Shaanxi Province on Jan. 7-9, 2013. The international Chief Advisor Dr. Hanson was invited to the meeting. The meeting was jointly chaired by Mr. Fan Bi, the Chinese Co-chair, Deputy Director General of Department of General Affairs, Research Office of the State Council and international Co-chair, Ms. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, President of Council of Canadian Academies and former Executive Director of UNEP. 22 people participated in the meeting including the Chinese and international members of the TF, supporting experts and representatives of CCICED Secretariat.

　　The outcomes of the meeting were as follows:

　　I. Discussed the sub-reports under the research project

　　The meeting discussed seven sub-reports including Theoretical Study on the Relationship between Environmental Protection and Social Development, Review on the Theories and Practices on Environmental Protection and Social Development in China and Global, Promotion of Corporate Social Responsibility for Environmental Protection, Improvement of Government Public Service System, Guiding and supporting public Participate in Environmental Protection in the whole society, Improving Human Settlement and Reducing Poverty in the Process of Urbanization and Acquiring a Green and Modern Lifestyle. Participants exchanged their viewpoints and identified what to do in the next stage.

　　II. International Symposium on Innovative Urban Development Mode was held jointly with Xixian New Area

　　Taking Xixian New Area as an example, the Chinese and international experts had in-depth dialogue and discussions over a set of issues concerning the new path to urbanization. Executive Deputy Director of Management Committee of Xixian New Area, Wang Jun gave a keynote speech on A Few Essentials on New Path to Urbanization. Jan Bakkes, senior expert from Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency presented on Global Experience on Urbanization. Sun Guojun, Deputy Director General of Department of General Affairs, Research Office of the State Council and Guo Lishi, Deputy Director from the same department also spoke over China’s urbanization and improvement of government public service system in combination of the development of Xixian New Area. The participants gave advices to Xixian New Area on the innovative urban development and coordination between environmental protection and social development in the process of building a modern city.

　　III. A field trip to Xixian New Area

　　A site visit was organized to the Planning Hall of Xixian New Area, the integral treatment program of Weihe River and Changling Afforestation Program located in Qinhan New City to learn more of the practice of local governments on preserving culture, improving environment and handling relationship between man and nature.

　　The meeting decided that a study tour to the Netherlands will be arranged this April to further the study on environmental protection and social development and held the 3rd joint meeting of the Task Force.　　

　Chinese Co-chair, Deputy Director General of Department of General Affairs, Research Office of the State Council, Fan Bi, is presiding over the meeting. 　　

　　　　Ms. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, International Co-chair, President of Council of Canadian Academies and former UNEP Executive Director.