On November 20, 2024, in the warm atmosphere of the high-profile 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), the side event with the theme of " Responding to the Climate Change: Chinese Civil Society Organizations in Action" opened in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan. The event, co-hosted by the China Environmental Protection Foundation, the China Association for NGO Cooperation and SEE Foundation, is not only an opportunity for Chinese civil society organizations to show the world their efforts in combating climate change, but also an indispensable part of the global climate governance system.
"This side event is not only a grand event to pool wisdom and seek solutions for Chinese social organizations to deal with climate change, but also an important platform to show the determination, actions and achievements of various social organizations." In his opening remarks at the event, Wang Zhengang, deputy Secretary-General of the China Environmental Protection Foundation, conveyed this message in a firm tone to the participants and the global audience. "Tackling climate change is a challenging task," he continued. "Let's stick to long-termism and take this conference as a starting point to accelerate the actions of Chinese social organizations in tackling climate change, help China achieve the goal of reaching peak carbon neutrality, and promote the improvement and progress of the global climate governance system."
At the side meeting, a number of civil society organizations from China took the stage, showcasing their remarkable achievements in climate governance, green energy transition, climate change response and international cooperation. By implementing a series of concrete and effective projects, these organizations have not only widely attracted domestic attention, but also won high praise internationally.
In addition, the side meeting specially arranged a roundtable dialogue session, inviting participants to conduct in-depth exchanges and discussions on "Building strength of environmental social organizations and using environmental rule of law to meet the challenge of climate change". The participants generally agreed that civil society organizations, as a third party in addition to governments and enterprises, play an indispensable role in promoting climate governance, raising public awareness of environmental protection and promoting international cooperation.
At the end of the side event, the participants jointly voiced the aspiration of "Responding to the Climate Change, Chinese Civil Society Organizations in Action". They called on civil society organizations, governments, businesses and the public around the world to join hands to tackle the climate challenge, and expressed their wishes to exert the expertise in their respective fields for a greener and more sustainable future.
During the event, the China Environmental Protection Foundation - Zhenhua Green Transition and Sustainable Development Fund and the China Environmental Rule of Law Public Welfare Platform Project successfully attracted the attention of many delegates by displaying project cases and distributing relevant publicity materials.