On August 22, the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum launched a five-year action plan to combat drought, desertification and land degradation during the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. This action plan not only demonstrates that Sino-Arab cooperation in ecological governance has moved from concept consensus to real practice, but also shows how South-South cooperation contributes to the global ecological governance landscape.
Drought, desertification and land degradation are global ecological challenges faced by both China and Arab states. From the arid region in northwest China to the vast deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, China and Arab states have similar geographical features, providing them with a natural common ground and an urgent need for cooperation in ecological protection and restoration. In August 2023, the China-Arab International Research Center on Drought, Desertification and Land Degradation (China-Arab Center) was inaugurated, laying a solid organizational foundation and cooperation framework for the release of the recently announced action plan.
The plan defines the primary areas of cooperation between the two sides over the next five years, covering almost all the crucial aspects of ecological governance in arid regions, including desertification and degraded land management, sand storm monitoring, forecast and early warning, grassland protection and utilization, biodiversity conservation as well as wetland protection and restoration.
At the institutional level, the action plan calls for improving Sino-Arab desertification control networks, strengthening the institutions for sharing policies, technologies and achievements, and expanding the desertification control partnership under the Belt and Road Initiative, a China-proposed framework to boost connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes. It particularly encourages the participation of governments, research institutions, businesses, social organizations and local communities. This breaks away from the previous government-dominated model, aiming to build a more dynamic and sustainable cooperation ecosystem.
At the core of the plan is technological innovation. Both sides will build a platform for sharing technologies, data and research outcomes, and develop and promote technologies such as remote sensing monitoring and intelligent analysis of land degradation. This digital and intelligent collaboration approach precisely addresses the current pain points in land degradation monitoring and governance, and is expected to bring visible results, practical methods and applicable technologies from China to Arab states. Over the past three years, the China-Arab Center has compiled 30 China-developed technologies that can be applied in Arab states for desertification control. A desertification control network and an expert database have also been established.
The importance of this action plan goes beyond bilateral relations between China and Arab states. It provides a new paradigm for global ecological governance cooperation. The in-depth cooperation between the two sides in combating desertification demonstrates the possibility for developing countries to share development experiences and solve common problems by relying on their own knowhow. China's experience in desertification control over the past decades, such as the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, a long-term ecological project spanning across northwest, north and northeast China, can be put to good use in Arab states with fragile ecosystems.
As the latest plan was released during COP17, it received attention and recognition from international organizations including the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Environment Program and the World Bank. This indicates that Sino-Arab cooperation is proactively aligning with the frameworks of international conventions and is contributing regional solutions to achieve the global goal of zero growth in land degradation.
The launch of the five-year action plan also signals a further exploration of new paths for global ecological governance. It is believed that over the next five years, with the plan's expected steady progress, the arid belt spanning Asia and Africa will be revitalized by the "green relay" between China and Arab states.
