On November 2, the CCICED 2018 AGM Open Forum on Green Development Innovation for the Yangtze River Economic Belt was successfully held. The forum was organized by Asian Development Bank and Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning of MEE. The forum was co-chaired by Mr. Groff, CCICED Member and Vice President of ADB, and Mr. Wang Jinnan, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of CAEP. The meeting, centering on legislation for protecting the Yangtze River and policy innovation for green development, conducted in-depth discussion and shared views on innovative river basin management.

Mr. Wang Jinnan and Ms. Amy Leung, Director General of East Asia Department of ADB, gave leading remarks on the policy recommendations for green development innovation in the YREB. Government officials and prominent experts home and abroad shared views on Yangtze River protection legislation, ecological compensation and sustainable financing, green livelihood and rural revitalization, and gender mainstreaming in green development. These experts include Mr. Cheng Lifeng, Member of the Natural Resources and Environmental Management Committee of NPC, Mr. Mark Tercek, CEO of The Nature Conservancy, Mr. Scott Vaughan, President and CEO of IISD, Mr. Hans Friederich, Director General of International Network for Bamboo and Rattan, Mr. Wang Xiaokang, President of China Industrial Energy Conservation and Clean Production Association, Mr. Zhang Qingfeng, Director of Environment, Natural Resources & Agriculture Division of East Asia Department of ADB, and Ms. Pang Xiaopeng, Professor of Renmin University. In particular, the audience showed intensive interest in the draft Yangtze River Protection Law and the draft recommendation for establishing Yangtze River Ecological Fund produced from CCICED Yangtze River SPS.

More than 60 representatives from nearly 30 domestic and international organizations, including the Natural Resources and Environmental Management Committee of NPC, the Department of Regulation and Standards of MEE, DRC, Chinese Academy of Fiscal Sciences, China Three Gorges Corporation, Tsinghua University, Renmin University, Wuhan University, IISD, TNC, INBR, OECD, Green Climate Fund, EDF, Paulson Institute, and WRI, participated in the meeting.