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UN City Environment Conference Opens in China
The United Nations opened a conference in Beijing October 16 in China calling for strengthened environmental protection in cities.
The International Conference for City Construction and Environment in the 21st Century was attended by 26 cities and 21 international organizations that play a leading role in urban environment protection.
Dr. Klaus Toepfer, under secretary-general of the United Nations, sent a message to the meeting, saying that this event represents another effort after the World Major Cities' Summit to eliminate slums and reduce poverty.
Toepfer, also executive director of the United Nations Environmental Program, said that people must ensure that city problems will not pose a threat to the next generation.
Ye Rutang, deputy minister of construction of China, said that human beings face the same issues of dealing with the relationship between man and nature, while achieving sustained economic development.
He noted that the opening of the meeting will provide an opportunity for people from different countries to learn from each other.
The conference will use Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, as an example to show how people can live in harmony with nature.
Chengdu, having once suffered from heavy water pollution, has changed its bad image in three years. The city has won three environment prizes bestowed by the UN.
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