The power of youth for taking action on climate change took a step forward today with the launch of the “Youth Leadership Summer Camp for Climate Action” at the United Nations Compound in Beijing, designed to promote youth engagement in tackling climate change and promoting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A new report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) showcases ten projects that are transforming the course of development in the Asia-Pacific region.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in China is pleased to announce cooperation with iamtheCODE in the launching of a Hackathon in Beijing for a process to ‘decode’ the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an economic framework developed to increase connectivity between China and over 100 countries and international organizations, based on the ancient Silk Road land and maritime routes. The BRI aims to link different regions through infrastructure construction, transport and economic corridors and by bridging China with the rest of the world both physically, financially, digitally and socially. UNDP and the People’s Republic of China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in September 2016. The MOU outlined a strategic cooperation framework to enhance collaboration between UNDP and the Chinese government for the implementation of the BRI and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

China’s first ever UN-led open design challenge, "Geek for Good" provides a platform to galvanize citizen engagement and inspire people to find tech-based innovative solutions for some of the toughest development challenges in China.

On June 5th, World Environment Day, UNDP teamed up with Green Manufacturing Co. (GEM) to increase the public’s awareness of the importance of proper recycling of e-wastes. An online live broadcast event exploring how e-waste can be dismantled in an environmental friendly way was broadcasted on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

Picture Story- Hawa Adams is a vegetable farmer in Tamalgu, Ghana. Hawa lives with her husband and eight children. She complements her income through a pilot demonstration initiative together with UNDP and a local NGO, New Energy. Over the past two years, she and 77 other families in the community have been testing enhanced agriculture production methods using drip- and regular irrigation.

To commemorate the World Earth Day, the United Nations Development Programme in China (UNDP China) launched the " 2030 Global Goals · Original Songwriting Contest”. Jointly initiated by the UNDP China and Echo, an innovative music platform, this campaign aims to bring to attention and stimulate action among the public on implementing the 2030 Agenda with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To raise public awareness on the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and help China reach the goals and targets set forth by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) China today launched its Massive Open Online Course on Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development Goals (UNDP SDG MOOC) developed in cooperation with NetEase Media, as the first knowledge product to combine the global Agenda and China’s current situation.

The Smart Cities and Social Governance: Guide to Participatory Indicator Development is the product of a year-long project in the Bihai and Huizhan Neighbourhoods in Guiyang. The project engaged local residents in setting community priorities, and created a multistakeholder process to enlist input from experts and government officials in establishing a set of indicators that can track those priorities using available data.

China’s announcement of a total energy consumption cap of 5 tons of coal equivalent comes after the success of the 12th Five-Year Plan from an energy perspective, in which energy and carbon targets were met and surpassed. Between 2011 and the end of 2015, energy intensity fell by 18.2% and carbon intensity declined 20%. These declines are due in large part to the drop in coal consumption: down 3.7% in 2015, following a 2.9% decrease in 2014. The total from all sources of energy in 2015 was 4.3 billion tons of coal equivalent, an increase of less than 1% from the previous year. This markedly slowed consumption, coupled with the decline in heavy industry, suggests that achieving a 5 billion metric ton energy cap will not be challenging.

Endosulfan is an insecticide that has been phasing out globally due to its acute toxicity, potential for bioaccumulation, and its role as an endocrine disrupter that can cause cancerous tumors, birth defects, and other developmental disorders. Because of its threats to human health and the environment, a global ban on the manufacture and use of endosulfan was negotiated under the Stockholm Convention in April 2011.

By Nicholas Rosellini: Pursuing protectionism is like locking oneself in a dark room,” Chinese President Xi Jinping warned the assembled leaders at the World Economic Forum earlier this year. “While wind and rain may be kept outside, that dark room will also block light and air.”