UNDP Chief Values China’s Sustainable Development

China had made great achieve- ments in sustainable development， and China’s experience can be shared with other developing countries， said Helen Clark， Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

She made the remarks during her four-day official visit to China from May 16. Clark met with Premier Wen Jiabao to discuss the vital role that China will play in determining the success of the sustainable development agenda， as well as UNDP’s strengthened partnership with China.

Earlier in 2010， Clark signed an agreement with Premier Wen which signaled out further strengthening South-South Cooperation and sharing China’s development experiences as one of her key priorities as UNDP Administrator.

China has outlined plans to cut its carbon intensity by 40- 45 percent by 2020 and enhance its natural resources management.

However， China still has a long way to go in realizing modernization. China will continue to open up to the world， conduct reforms and promote comprehensive， coordinated and sus- tainable development， Wen was quoted as saying by Xinhua News Agency， adding China is ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the UNDP.

“China has enjoyed a period of tremendous growth and has learned many lessons along the way，” said Clark.

“It is important that we work together to share these experiences in a way that is most beneficial to developing countries， and I have been encouraged by China’s willingness and commitment to do so，” she added.

Clark also met with Xie Zhenhua， Vice-Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)， in order to gain a better understanding of how UNDP can help promote balanced socio-economic development in China.

Later， she attended the launch of the China-India Country Study on Low Carbon Development， a joint initiative that brings the National Development and Reform Commission of China and the Energy and Resource Institute of India (TERI) together to examine existing barriers and solutions to promoting low carbon development on a global scale.

In her other engagements， Clark held discussions with Wan Gang， Minister of Science and Technology， on SouthSouth Cooperation for poverty alleviation through technology exchanges and the development of a green economy; and with Li Liguo， Minister of Civil Affairs， to discuss China’s experience of and expertise in disaster risk management and sharing with other developing countries.

During her visit， Clark also attended an event to promote a new UNDP initiative aimed at encouraging the private sector to enhance their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) profiles， as well as integrating the three pillars of sustainable development – economic， social and environmental – within their business operations.

“To succeed in the 21st century， businesses must pursue a ‘triple bottom-line approach’， namely， businesses must see the economic， social and environmental dimensions of their operating costs，” Clark said in her speech.

At this event， UNDP announced a new mechanism designed to assist Chinese enterprises in enhancing their ability to perform CSR by facilitating the exchange of successful experiences with other developing countries under the framework of South-South Cooperation. Amid China’s growing overseas business interests， this initiative will pilot “pre-departure”CSR training for Chinese companies intending to invest in other developing countries.

Clark also interacted with the members of media and the public. For the first time， she engaged in a microblog (weibo) chat with the online community in China， sharing her thoughts on sustainable development and the future she envisions over the next 20 years.

It is the fourth time Clark has visited China since her appointment as UNDP Administrator in 2009. She previously served as New Zealand’s prime minister for three terms from 1998 to 2008.

As China prepares to engage with the world at the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development in June， Clark’s visit signals the importance she attaches to China.