On August 17, the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification opened in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. On the opening day and the following day, BFU, through the China-Mongolia Desertification Control Cooperation Center, hosted two side events under the themes "Scientific Support for Ecological Restoration of the Mongolian Plateau" and "Building a Green Mongolian Plateau Together". The events brought together over 200 representatives from governments, diplomatic missions, international financial institutions, research institutions, universities, and enterprises from both China and Mongolia to discuss desertification control solutions and share ecological restoration experience.

Chinese and Mongolian officials, including Vice Minister Jia Xiaoxia of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and Ms. Oyun-Erdene of Mongolia's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, attended the side events alongside representatives from the Asian Development Bank. BFU Vice President Zhang Zhiqiang delivered the opening remarks.

In his remarks, Zhang Zhiqiang noted that the China-Mongolia Center serves as a key platform for implementing the consensus on desertification cooperation reached by the two heads of state. He expressed China's willingness to share successful experience from the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program and provide scientific and technological support for Mongolia's "Billion Trees" initiative. He emphasized that desertification control requires both scientific research and practical application, with a focus on translating research into on-the-ground solutions.

The side events brought together researchers from multiple countries and institutions. Experts and scholars from BFU, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the National University of Mongolia, the Mongolian University of Life Sciences, the Korea National Institute of Forest Science, Wageningen University in the Netherlands, and Heidelberg University in Germany, along with industry representatives, delivered academic presentations on topics including the Three-North project, degraded land restoration, agroforestry, remote sensing monitoring, and sandstorm prevention.

The China-Mongolia Desertification Control Cooperation Center was jointly established by the two governments as a core bilateral platform supporting Mongolia's "Billion Trees" initiative. It is operated by BFU as the main Chinese entity, commissioned by the China International Development Cooperation Agency. Key initiatives, including ecological technology training and the development of ecological demonstration parks in Ulaanbaatar and Zamyn-Üüd, are progressing steadily, contributing to ecological conservation on the Mongolian Plateau and strengthening practical cooperation between China and Mongolia.

Written by Li Yaoming
Translated and edited by Song He
Reviewed by Yu Yangyang