Program of Action for Sustainable Development in China in the Early 21st Century (Part IV)

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, July 26, 2003

Program of Action for Sustainable Development in China in the Early 21st Century (Part IV)

In the wake of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, the Chinese government published China's Agenda 21 - White Paper on China's Population, Environment and Development in the 21st Century as a platform document for guidingthe country's social and economic development. That document marked the beginning of the sustainable development process in China. To help implement the sustainable development strategy, this Program of Action for Sustainable Development in China in the Early 21st Century (hereinafter referred to as the "Program") is hereby promulgated.

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Part IV: Safeguard Measures

Adopt administrative, economic, scientific and technological and legal measures to realize the goals set forth in this Program against the backdrop of the current international and domestic environment. Steps include better inter-agency coordination, expanded funding channels, bolstered support for science, technology and education, and improved laws and regulations. Implement the sustainable development strategy with a heightened sense of responsibility and mission, in compliance with the requirements of the "Three Represents" theory (the Chinese Communist Party represents the development trend of China's advanced productive forces, the orientation of China's advanced culture, and the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people in China).

1. Employ administrative means to improve decision-making

Strengthen leadership. Governments at all levels should carry out the sustainable development strategy conscientiously, incorporating the tasks listed in the Program on population, resources and the environment into their routine work agendas. Thepolicy of holding the chief executive responsible for population, resources and the environmental work should be continued and faithfully executed. Responsibilities should be divided clearly between governments at different levels. Governments should be responsible for coordinating different departments in decision-making, ensuring that responsibilities, measures and funding fall into the right places. The government should make continuous efforts to improve its ability to plan, coordinate and standardizemanagement.

Reinforce supervision. Develop a standardized and rational performance review and award system for public servants to motivate leading government officials at all levels to pay great attention to sustainable development of population, resources and the environment. Governments at all levels should ensure that the idea of sustainable development be incorporated into relevant strategies, programs and plans and be integrated into the entire process of implementation. Over time, government officials should be evaluated chiefly by their performance in implementing sustainable development, as measured by the outcome of the evaluation and final inspection mission.

Balanced development. Build and improve a coordinating mechanism for balanced development of the population, resources and the environment and social and economic development, as well as an incentive mechanism for integrated decision-making. Develop an indicator system favorable to measuring the level of sustainable development in targeted areas and enterprises and introduce, on a trial basis, the cost of resources and the environment into the accounting system of the national economy. Introduce, on a trial basis, the system of assessing the impact onsustainable development for major projects and decisions. Create ways for public participation in decision-making and improve public services for promoting sustainable development.

2. Create an investment regime that favors sustainable development through economic leverages

Build a fund-raising mechanism conducive to sustainable development. Gradually increase spending by governments at all levels in sustainable development, encouraging non-state sector capital or even foreign capital to go into sustainable developmentand drastically improving the security and stability of funding for sustainable development. Improve management and efficiency of funding.

Establish a more reasonable pricing mechanism that encourages all stakeholders to participate in sustainable development. Use pricing to encourage all stakeholders to strengthen conservation of resources, strictly protect the ecological environment in both urban and rural areas, and give full play to the role of pricing in regulating resources supply and demand and sustainable utilization.

3. Provide strong support for promotion of sustainable development through scientific advances and advocacy.

Deepening the reform of the system for science and technology. Establish a science and technology regime that meets market requirements while conforming to development of science and technology. Rationalize the allocation of resources; further boostR&D and services for sustainable development; motivate scientists and technicians to engage in R&D and commercialization of sustainable development; promote the sustainable development of population, resources and the environment.

Development and application of environmentally friendly technologies. Pool resources to develop a host of key technologiesthat are key to sustainable development and raise the technical level and capacity. Promote clean production in the course of business restructuring. Accelerate the transition at all types of enterprises from end-control to whole process control by combiningclean production with technical advancement, energy conservation, resources recycling and management improvement. Step up the establishment of an integrated industrial pollution control model focusing on clean production; encourage and support enterprises toadopt high and new technologies, new types of energy and clean production techniques with less consumption of energy and materials and less pollution. Select qualified regions or enterprises and support the establishment of a number of ecological and environmental R&D centers; pool resources to tacklekey problems in technological and equipment development, so as to boost China's capacity to manufacture complete and serialized setsof equipment.

4. Improve legislation on sustainable development

Continue to improve legislation. Study and draft a number of new laws and rules; step up revision of existing laws and regulations; form a legal framework for sustainable development. Draft local regulations in line with national laws and regulationsand local conditions, in order to promote sustainable development on a local level.

Supporting institutions and standard-development. Build and improve rules and procedures for sustainable development, including existing ones on environmental management, management ofownership rights for natural resources, compensation rights, transfer of use (property) rights, and management of migrant population; establish an institutional framework for the management of population, resources and the environment with Chinese characteristics.

Public supervision. Improve governance by law and strengthen the personnel resources of law enforcement and step up law enforcement. Allow the mass media and social organizations to playtheir due role in supervision and ensure that governments and law enforcement departments at different levels exercise their duties in accordance with law. Pay attention to the publicity, promotion and education on laws and regulations on sustainable development to enhance public awareness of those laws and regulations.

5. Select key regions and fields as model projects

Improve pilot work for sustainable development, summarize experience, and gradually promote the implementation of the sustainable development strategy. Build a number of bases of sustainable development through modeling that integrates technology with management, policy and institutionalization. Conduct policy and strategic studies and key technology R&D centering around key issues in sustainable development. Solve problems faced universally by local governments such as how to utilize resources, how to preserve the ecological environment, andhow to restructure the economy toward efficiency-based growth. Develop different models and apply those models in neighboring regions.

6. Strengthen international cooperation to create a sound external environment for sustainable development at home.

Actively participate in global cooperation in environmental protection and develop strategies for participating in various environmental treaties and conventions. Implement in earnest all the international treaties that China has acceded to and carry outresolutions and decisions reached at the Johannesburg summit meeting and other international meetings. Pay great attention to and actively participate in bilateral and multilateral cooperation;capitalize on all occasions to promote environmental protection athome and safeguard China's national interests. Create a sound international environment for sustainable development. Meet the requirements of globalization and China's accession to the WTO. Establish and improve an investment and trade policy framework spearheaded by "green" products, technology and services, in lightof economic globalization and China's accession to the World TradeOrganization; make full use of both domestic and international resources and markets to advance the cause of sustainable development in China.

Part I Part II Part III-1 Part III-2

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