Senior officials from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) arrived Saturday in Xiamen city, east China's Fujian Province, to confer on preparations for the Second International Environment Conference scheduled for the coastal city on Oct. 12-15.
Cees Van de Guchte, a UNEP official, said the conference serves as a platform for experience exchange, sharing of new technology and cooperation for countries from across the world.
The upcoming conference, at the co-sponsorship of the UNEP, China's State Environmental Protection Administration and the Xiamen city government, will probe into solutions to environmental problems, with topics involving the environment's effect on human health, and connection with social and economic growth, as well as technologies and measures to lessen environmental pollution.
Approximately 500 representatives from around the world have confirmed their presence at the conference.
In addition, UNEP will fund 20 to 30 destitute countries so that they can send representatives to the conference.
The first International Environment Conference was held in Beijing in 2001, with the attendance of more than 400 scholars and experts from over 30 countries and regions.
It has been agreed that China will host the conference every three years in different cities.
(Xinhua News Agency April 4, 2004)
