On June 10, 2015, the signing ceremony for Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) and United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) was held in Beijing. Mr. Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director and Under Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Prof. Huang Jin, CUPL President, attended the ceremony and signed the MoU on behalf of the two parties. Other dignitaries were also present at the site to witness the signing activities.They were Mr. Kaveh Zahedi, Director of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) of the aforesaid UNEP, Mr. Li Qingrui, Head of the Department of Policies & Regulations under China’s Ministry of Environment Protection (MEP), and Professor Wang Canfa from CUPL’s Environment Law Institute, among others.
President Huang Jin expressed his delight in meeting Mr.Steiner, and he reviewed the smooth collaborations between the two sides since the 1990s. President Huang especially mentioned that Professor Wang Canfa and his research team attended many symposiums on environmental protection hosted by UNEP on behalf of CUPL and how they have undertaken a series of research projects. He remarked that the two sides shared common goals in many areas, such as promoting the rule of law in environmental protection, working on projects to prevent and solve problems from pollution and other public hazards, and coping with issues of climate change and preserving natural resources, and so on. He hoped the signing of that MoU would boost the cooperation between the two partners.
Mr. Steiner expressed his gratitude to his counterpart for the firm support President Huang has given to the two sides. He firmly believed that the conclusion of the MoU would not only further facilitate joint research, but also be beneficial to the organization of further joint training and the convening of related conferences and forums. He expressed his full confidence in this agreement of bilateral cooperation and pledged to render support as always.
Mr. Li Qingrui conveyed a congratulatory message from Mr.Chen Jining, Minister of Environment Protection, to all the attendees on the venue. He said that mutual efforts and constant cooperation would undoubtedly push environmental protection forward in China.
The MoU, with a view to promoting the rule of law in environmental protection, is the first of its kind reached between UNEP and a legal education and research institution from a developing country. At the conclusion, the MoU was signed by President Huang and Mr. Steiner before the attendees of the ceremony.
