Remarks by Ms Beate Trankmann at Signing Ceremony for Launch of UNDP-NIO Partnership

August 15, 2022

UNDP Resident Representative Beate Trankmann speaks at the signing ceremony at the UN Compound in Beijing

尊敬的 李斌 先生, (Mr. William Li, Founder of NIO)

尊敬的 秦力洪 先生,(Mr. Qin Lihong, Co-founder and President of NIO)

尊敬的 刘宁副司长,(Mr. Liu Ning, Deputy Director General of MEE)

同事们,朋友们,早上好!(Colleagues and friends, Good morning!)                                                  

今天,我 很()()地 欢迎大家来到这里,

见证联合国开发计划署 和  ()()()()  结成   新的  伙伴 关系

()()保护 中国  ()()  的 生物多样性 和()()()()

It is my pleasure to warmly welcome you all here today to witness the forging of a new partnership between UNDP and NIO, joining hands to protect and preserve China’s priceless biodiversity and ecosystems!

Our planet is in the midst of an environmental crisis. Around the world, biodiversity is in rapid decline, ecosystems are under threat, and climate change is on a disastrous trajectory. The natural world – which we rely on for our own survival – is being pushed to the brink. To safeguard our future and that of our children and grandchildren, we must take urgent action to protect the planet, and we have to do it now!

Last year, part 1 of the COP15 summit of the Convention on Bio-Diversity saw some important steps including the endorsement of the Kunming declaration where participating member states agreed to urgent and integrated actions to protect biodiversity around the world. China also announced the establishment of the 1.5 bln RMB Kunming Biodiversity Fund to support conservation efforts in developing countries, and officially designated its first batch of 5 National Parks.

The partnership we are launching today aims to carry forward this progress by strengthening ecological conservation in China’s Protected Areas and newly established National Parks - focusing in particular on the synergies between biodiversity protection and climate change.

Specifically, UNDP and NIO will work together in three main areas:

Firstly, enhancing the contribution of the private sector to meeting China’s biodiversity and carbon goals by guiding commercial enterprises, especially smart car companies, in greening their supply chain management.

Secondly, carrying out demonstration projects on biodiversity conservation and piloting self-sufficient renewable energy systems to power infrastructure and mobility in national parks;

And thirdly, enhancing stakeholder understanding and knowledge of ecological protection focusing particularly on women and youth.

With COP15-Part 2 coming up in December and expected to usher in the adoption of a new Global Biodiversity Framework with ambitious and measurable targets, this partnership couldn’t be more timely. Ecological protection and biodiversity conservation are high on the global and national agenda and I am confident that our work will contribute to these priorities while hopefully serving as an example for others to take inspiration from.

The natural world – which we rely on for our own survival – is being pushed to the brink. To safeguard our future and that of our children and grandchildren, we must take urgent action to protect the planet, and we have to do it now.
Beate Trankmann, UNDP China Resident Representative

Indeed, at UNDP, we have worked in China for over two decades on conservation and climate change together with the central government including the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and other ministries, as well as local governments in more than 20 provinces. Alongside our partners, we have successfully strengthened environmental protection and promoted knowledge sharing between China and rest of the world.

We look forward to continuing this work together with NIO through the Clean Parks project. As a global smart electric vehicle company, NIO has been a pioneer in exploring innovative green transportation solutions. Its commitment made last December, to set up a special initiative dedicated to investing in conservation in protected areas worldwide over the next 3 years, was particularly encouraging. We hope that efforts such as this from NIO and other private companies can generate even greater impact moving forward.

In closing, let me express my sincere thanks to Mr. Li Bin, Mr. Qin Lihong, and the NIO team for embarking on this journey together with UNDP, as well as everyone who has worked to make the launch of this partnership possible.

By joining hands today, we are taking a critical step forward to advance the 2030 Agenda and create a sustainable planet for future generations!

Thank you