Linking global innovation network resources! Shenzhen Longhua launches the UNDP Sustainable Development Innovation Demonstration Project
2024-08-14
한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina
In order to help Shenzhen accelerate the realization of the goal of becoming a modern, international, innovative city, Shenzhen Longhua has joined hands with the United Nations Development Program to create a real model of sustainable development innovation demonstration. On August 13, the launching ceremony of the United Nations Development Program Sustainable Development Innovation Demonstration Project (Shenzhen Longhua) was held in Shenzhen. The project will benchmark Shenzhen's goals and tasks as a national sustainable development agenda innovation demonstration zone, based in Shenzhen and Longhua, linking global innovation network resources, helping to explore innovative policies, paths and local solutions for sustainable development in megacities, serving the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, and building a higher quality and more sustainable future.
Shenzhen Deputy Mayor Luo Huanghao, UNDP Resident Representative in China Bai Yating, Shenzhen Foreign Affairs Office Director Cao Saixian, Longhua District Party Committee Secretary Wang Wei, District Party Committee Deputy Secretary and District Mayor Lei Weihua, and Ministry of Commerce China International Economic and Technical Exchange Center Party Committee Deputy Secretary and Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Dai Dajiang attended the ceremony.
The event was jointly organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) China Office, the China International Economic and Technical Exchange Center of the Ministry of Commerce, the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government and the People's Government of Longhua District, Shenzhen, and co-organized by the United Nations Development Programme Singapore Global Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development Center, Shenzhen International Exchange and Cooperation Foundation, and Shenzhen (Longhua) International Cooperation Center, and supported by the Social Value Investment Alliance.
Settled in Longhua, the "UNDP Sustainable Development Innovation Laboratory" was launched
At the conference, the first national sustainable development agenda innovation demonstration zone, the United Nations Development Program Sustainable Development Innovation Laboratory - HUA HUB, was also launched. The laboratory is one of the sub-projects of the United Nations Development Program Sustainable Development Innovation Demonstration Project.
"HUA HUB will serve as a test base in a megacity, committed to promoting and implementing cutting-edge sustainable development solutions, and leading the future with practice," said Bai Yating, UNDP Resident Representative in China, in her speech. In the future, the laboratory will focus on the development of the digital economy and small and medium-sized enterprises, bringing together multiple partners from the United Nations system and governments at all levels, enterprises, and academia to build an international network of sustainable development for small and medium-sized enterprises and young innovators and entrepreneurs, promote knowledge sharing and information exchange, serve enterprises in expanding overseas markets, and create an "international business card" for Longhua in the field of sustainable development.
It is understood that the Shenzhen (Longhua) International Cooperation Center, where the laboratory is located, is currently the largest district-level international comprehensive exchange service platform in Shenzhen. With the concept of "connecting the world and creating the future together", since its opening on October 27, 2023, the center has handled more than 4,000 foreign-related businesses, held more than 140 "i·CITY" foreign exchange series activities, reserved more than 120 international cooperation projects, received more than 1,800 enterprises and institutions, and established liaison mechanisms with 150 foreign-related business associations, introduced foreign-related associations such as Finland, Portugal, Australia, and France, and built a global partner network. HUA HUB will rely on the service advantages of the International Cooperation Center to create a mechanism-based international innovation cooperation platform with Longhua characteristics, and provide the city with thought leadership in innovation-driven localized sustainable development policies and paths.
Frontier dialogue to explore innovation-driven sustainable development experience of megacities
The modernization and internationalization of urban governance has become a core indicator to support sustainable development. Improving the governance capacity of large cities and effectively solving the "big city disease" have become the key to further promoting sustainable development in my country.
At the ceremony, domestic and foreign experts in the field of sustainability, scientific researchers, strategic investors and other representatives delivered keynote speeches and held a roundtable discussion on the theme of "Innovation drives the sustainable development of megacities - a dialogue between Singapore and Shenzhen".
Joe Hooper, Director of the United Nations Development Program's Global Center for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development in Singapore, said in his speech that cities are a very important engine for sustainable development, and that the concept of sustainable development centered on people should be used to promote the improvement of the lives of billions of people. From a global perspective, the development of smart and innovative cities centered on people needs to evaluate how to use technology to promote sustainable development, empower innovators by promoting the formation of an experimental culture, and explore digital solutions.
Accelerating the implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy and making good use of the resource advantages of digitalization, intelligence and internationalization are important practices for Shenzhen to explore the sustainable governance and development of megacities. "The sustainable development of a megacity must have a good ecological environment." Ma Weihua, a member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Impact Steering Committee, said in his keynote speech that Shenzhen has a good ecological environment. Shenzhen's current social scientific research investment is nearly 200 billion yuan, and there are 24,700 innovative technology companies. Technological innovation is a business card for Shenzhen. At the same time, Shenzhen is committed to accelerating green transformation and promoting sustainable development. In 2023, Shenzhen's energy consumption, water consumption, and carbon emission intensity per 10,000 yuan of GDP will be reduced to 1/3, 1/8, and 1/5 of the national average, respectively, and economic and social development will achieve a comprehensive green transformation.
In the subsequent roundtable discussion, focusing on the topic of innovation-driven sustainable development, the conference explored the key role of science, technology and innovation in promoting inclusive, resilient and sustainable development. It focused on the innovation ecosystem, sustainable financing, transformation strategies, talent capacity building, policy support and other aspects, providing global insights for promoting the development of high-quality urban innovation ecosystems.
Leading by example, jointly creating a model of sustainable development innovation demonstration
In recent years, Shenzhen has steadily promoted the construction of the "National Sustainable Development Agenda Innovation Demonstration Zone", made intensive and efficient use of land space, steadily improved the level of intelligent social governance, and unswervingly followed the path of ecological priority, conservation and intensive, green, low-carbon and high-quality development, and has gained some replicable and popularizable experiences and practices.
As an industrial and foreign trade zone in Shenzhen, Longhua has always adhered to the development strategy of innovation-driven, seized the trend of digitalization, and built a "1+2+3" modern industrial system. Major scientific and technological innovation achievements such as domestic ECMO and 5.0T medical magnetic resonance imaging have continued to emerge. More than 3,700 national high-tech enterprises are booming in Longhua, and the city’s only two "lighthouse factories" are also located in Longhua.
It is reported that the UNDP project launched this time will be implemented by the United Nations Development Program China Office, the China International Economic and Technical Exchange Center of the Ministry of Commerce, and the Shenzhen International Exchange and Cooperation Foundation. The project will focus on building an international cooperation mechanism platform, serving the green development of the "1+2+3" modern industrial system, serving the innovation, entrepreneurship and international development of small and medium-sized enterprises, organizing international youth to participate in the creation of international blocks, promoting international exchanges and cooperation, and telling good stories of high-quality development. It will focus on the construction of the National Sustainable Development Agenda Innovation Demonstration Zone, and with the help of the United Nations Development Program's accelerator innovation laboratory network in nearly 170 countries and regions, it will contribute to the creation of a national sustainable development agenda innovation demonstration zone in Shenzhen by exporting a number of sustainable development experiences, building a number of sustainable development networks, and forming a number of sustainable development results.
Next, Longhua will take this project as an opportunity to widely connect and introduce high-quality international resources and factors, strengthen international cooperation in green transformation, accelerate the creation of a higher level of opening-up and innovation environment, and further enable the high-quality economic and social development of Longhua.
Text | Li WeiPhoto | Provided by the organizer
