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The Division of International Organizations of the Department of International Cooperation takes charge multilateral environmental cooperation of SEPA. Multilateral environmental cooperation refers to the cooperation under multilateral environmental mechanisms. In 1972, the Chinese government sent its first environment delegation attending the First UN Conference on Human Environment, this marks the beginning of international cooperation of China in multilateral environmental field.
Chinahas made great progress in the field of multilateral environmental cooperation over the past three decades. State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), on behalf of the Government of China, has carried out fruitful cooperation with a dozen of inter-governmental organizations and international NGOs in the world such as UNEP and actively participated in the negotiation and implementation of the Vienna Convention and its Montreal Protocol, Convention on Biodiversity and its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, Stockholm Convention, Basel Convention and Rotterdam Convention.
Cooperation with International Organizations
UNEP (including the headquarters in Nairobi,ROAP in Bangkok, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics in Paris, International Environmental Technology Centre in Osaka, Chemicals Branch in Geneva, and Economics and Trade Branch in Switzerland) is one of China's most important partners in the field of multilateral environmental cooperation. China has been a member state of the Governing Council of UNEP since 1973. The Permanent Mission of China to UNEP was established in Nairobi in 1976 and China started its donation to the UNEP Environmental Foundation in the same year. The annual donation of the Chinese Government to UNEP is US$250,000 beginning from 2006.
In 2006, China and UNEP carried out rich and diversified cooperation activities with remarkable achievements. President Hu Jintao visited UNEP in April. Mr. Zhu Guangyao, Vice Minister of SEPA led a Chinese delegation in February to attend the Ninth Special Meeting of UNEP Governing Council and met with the Executive Director and Vice Executive Director of UNEP. Executive Director of UNEP visited China several times in 2006. In addition, several Chinese delegations led by minister or vice minister of the Central government or governor or vive governor of local government visited UNEP. In order to facilitate the cooperation between SEPA and UNEP, the two sides signed a letter of agreement on the standardization of work procedures between them.
At project level, the cooperation is also very active. The trial work on circular economy in Guiyang, China by UNEP is very successful. UNEP has held three training courses on Asia-Pacific Leadership Program on Environment and Sustainable Development. With several small donation projects, it helps China in capacity building and policy studies. These projects include the compilation of Global Environment Outlook (China part), cooperation on the protection of marine environment from land-based activities and personnel exchanges.
In the field of multilateral environmental cooperation, China has actively cooperated with a dozen of other international organizations (at global level) including UNDP, GEF, UNESCO, WHO, UNIDO, WB, ADB and UNESCAP as well as with international NGOs such as IUCN and IFAW.
Environmental Conventions
The international environmental conventions and protocols with their negotiation and implementation headed by SEPA include the Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements and their Hazardous Wastes of Disposal (Basel Convention), the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (Rotterdam Convention), the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (Stockholm Convention), the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (Vienna Convention), and Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Montreal Protocol), the Convention on Bio-Diversity and Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The information about the name, effective date and the date approved by the Chinese government is listed in the following table.
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Convention |
Effective date |
Approved by China |
Effective date in China |
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Vienna Convention |
Sep. 22, 1988 |
Sep. 11, 1989 |
Dec. 10, 1989 |
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London Amendment of Montreal Protocol |
Aug. 10, 1992 |
June 14, 1991 |
Aug. 10, 1992 |
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Copenhagen Amendment of Montreal Protocol |
June 14, 1994 |
April 22, 2003 |
July 22, 2003 |
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Basel Convention |
May 5, 1992 |
Sep. 4, 1991 |
Aug. 20, 1992 |
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Convention on Bio-Diversity |
Dec. 29, 1993 |
Nov. 7, 1992 |
April 5, 1993 |
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Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety |
Sep. 16, 2003 |
April 17, 2005 |
Sep.6, 2005 |
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Stockholm Convention |
May 17, 2004 |
June 25, 2004 |
Nov. 11, 2004 |
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Rotterdam Convention |
Feb. 24, 2004 |
Dec. 29, 2004 |
June 20, 2005 |
Apart from the above 5 international environmental conventions, SEPA also heads the Chinese delegations to participate in the negotiations on such programme as the "North-West Pacific Ocean Action Plan", "East Asia Sea Action Plan", "Global Programme of Action for the Protection of Marine Environment from Land-based Activities", "Inter-government Forum on the Safety of Chemicals" and "Integrated Strategy on the Management of Chemicals".
Mr. Hua Jianmin, State Councilor and Secretary General of the State Council, attended the Second Inter-government Review Meeting of the Global Programme of Actionfor the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities
Minister Zhou Shengxian met with Mr. Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP in 2006
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