The 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14) took place from November 5th to13th, 2022, in a hybrid format in Wuhan, China and in Geneva, Switzerland. President Xi Jinping delivers a speech via video at the opening ceremony, which themed as Protecting Wetlands for Our Future andScaling up Wetlands Action Across the World. On November 8th, the COP14 held a side event in Wuhan (China) at the East Lake International Conference Center on the theme of“A living Yangtze River, a great river civilization for the future.” The event was hosted by the hosted by the Wuhan Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau and organized by Zhongnan University of Economics and Law and other organizations. Distinguished participants were from the COP14 Executive Committee, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the Wuhan Municipal People’s Government, and the Wuhan Maritime Court, as well as esteemed research institutions like the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Hydrobiology, Wuhan University, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), and the Changjiang Conservation Foundation. The topics encompassed the construction of legal frameworks for Yangtze River ecological protection, the dual-carbon economy, ecological culture, social development, and the civilization of the great river. Representatives from ZUEL included Luan Yongyu (Secretary of the Standing Committee of the CPC ZUEL Committee), Gao Lihong (Minister of the Development Planning Department and Director of the Discipline Office), Chen Baofeng (Dean of the Law School), Zhang Bao (Deputy Dean of the Law School), and teachers Xie Zhongzhou and Mou Tong.
Eminent figures like Meng Xianlin (Director of the COP14 Executive Committee Office), Ma Yi (Director of the Yangtze River Basin Fisheries Supervision and Administration Office under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Zhu Gongwei (Deputy Secretary-General of the Wuhan Municipal Government), and others delivered speeches during the opening ceremony of the side-event. In total, it featured two keynote presentations, nine paralleled presentations and roundtable on three topics - the effectiveness and vision of Yangtze River protection, the judicial protection of Yangtze River, and the social participation of Yangtze River protection. Additionally, a special meeting was organized for the entrepreneurs to discuss their experiences with the Yangtze River protection. Thanks to the comprehensive discussions, consensus on the importance of wetlands protection was further strengthened. Moreover, efforts were consolidated towards the protection of the Yangtze River, thereby contributing Chinese wisdom to global wetland conservation and promotion of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
Luan Yongyu delivered a speech titled as Reflections on the Role of Judicial Power in Enhancing the Protection of the Yangtze River. In his address, he emphasized that the promotion of the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature is not only an essential requirement but also an obligation for achieving modernization with Chinese characteristics. He put forth constructive suggestions from various perspectives, including the establishment of a judicial concept that emphasizes prevention and restoration, the advancement of specialized environmental resources trials and the creation of a collaborative mechanism for environmental resources judiciary cooperation. These suggestions were highly acclaimed by the attendees.
Gao Lihong delivered a speech focused on Justice Progression of the Yangtze River Ecological Judicial Restoration Base. She highlighted that Yangtze River protection through the establishment of ecological judicial restoration bases have offered experiences with Chinese characteristics. These bases serve as mechanisms for multi-party governance and achieve procedural and substantive justice. Gao suggested that while refining the operational rules for Yangtze River protection, attention should also be given to the restoration of interests, which will help us achieve the goal of strengthening wetland conservation, reasonable utilization and restoration for sustainable development, as advocated by the COP14.
During the event, Luan Yongyu engaged in in-depth discussions with leaders from the Office of Supervision and Coordination of Key Projects of the Wuhan Municipal Government, the Wuhan Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau, and the Wuhan Maritime Court regarding promotion of cooperation among universities, government agencies, judicial authorities and non-profit organizations in the implementation of the Wetland Protection Law and the Yangtze River Protection Law. He also interviewed by Xinhua News Agency, Hubei Daily, Changjiang Daily and other media outlets.
The full name of Ramsar Convention is Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat. It was signed on February 2nd, 1971, in Ramsar, Iran, making it the world’s first intergovernmental environmental treaty. Currently, it number of contracting parties has reached 172, and China officially joined the convention in 1992. The Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention serves as the highest decision-making body for formulation of global strategies, policies and promotion of international cooperation under the convention. It convenes every threee years and is hosted by the secretariat and the host country. On June 26th, 2019, the 57th meeting of the Ramsar Convention Standing Committee approved the resolution to hold COP14 in China. This marked the first time that China hosts this prestigious international conference.
