The sixth World Economic and Environmental Conference (WEC) will be held in Beijing between November 16 and 18, 2013.
The three-day conference is themed "Striving for Green and Low-Carbon Development, Deepening Industrial Reform and Developing in a Sustainable and Harmonious Way." Over 800 participants will attend the conference, including representatives from the United Nations (UN), international organizations, government departments and agencies, commercial industries, academic communities and news media organizations.
The sixth WEC consists of 12 forums related to air, resources, household waste, agriculture, clothing, food and investment. Two additional exhibitions will focus on the planet's ecological change and the various accomplishments of "green" enterprise.
The sixth WEC is jointly hosted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and International Energy Conservation Environmental Protection Association (IEEPA). Government agencies, NGOs and foreign embassies in China also have offered great support to the conference.
Many government officials and academics have expressed their appreciation and support for the upcoming conference, including Abulaiti Abudurexiti, vice chairman of the 11th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC); Cheng Siwei and Jiang Zhenghua, vice chairmen of the 9th and 10th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee; Edmond Alphandery, Chairman of the Euro50 Group; Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); Jacques Diouf, former Director General of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); Josette Sheeran, Director of the World Food Program and Robert J. Aumann, Nobel Laureate in economics.
The annual WEC, which began in 2008, aims to promote sustainable development in China and establish a win-win development model between the environment and the economy. Over 4,000 attendees from 60 countries worldwide thus far have attended the conference. More than 30 international organizations, government agencies, professional societies and associations have hosted the conference.