— Speech by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development

(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 20, 2012)

On behalf of the Chinese Government, I'd like to express warm congratulations to the convening UN Conference on Sustainable Development and also send gratitude to the Brazilian Government for its great contribution to this conference!

Since the industrial revolution, mankind has created much more material wealth than ever before. However, it is also faced with challenges like a population explosion, unbalanced development, resource exhaustion and environmental deterioration. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held here 20 years ago earmarked a new era of sustainable human development. In the past 20 years, the concept of sustainable development has been rooted in people's minds and great achievements have been made in the pursuit of Millennium Development Goals. We have been greatly encouraged by this. However, the process of sustainable development is not moving at the same pace around the world, with the gap between south and north continuing to widen while resource and environment problems stay unresolved. Sustainable development faces new and grave challenges posed by international financial crisis, climate change, energy and food security, and local conflicts. In today's world, there is no new continent and oasis left for us to discover, so to preserve resources and the environment to achieve sustainable development is the only choice we have. Looking into the future, we hope to create a green and prosperous world, without poverty and foolishness, without discrimination and oppression, without excessive exploitation of nature and deliberate damage, so as to reach economic development, social fairness and environmental friendliness. We hope to see modern civilization bear fruit for all human beings as well as future generations. This should be the long-term dream in our joint efforts to promote the sustainable development of the world.

To jointly promote sustainable development, we should take a fair, just, open and inclusive approach. We should bravely undertake the common responsibility of protecting the earth while facing up to the objective reality that all countries are at different stages of development. Countries around the globe should continue to work as partners in adhering to the Rio Principles, especially the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, to ensure global sustainable development while giving all countries the equal right of development in this process. Developing countries should, according to their own national conditions, work out and implement sustainable development strategies and put the reduction of poverty among their priorities. Developed countries should honor their commitments to change unsustainable ways of production and consumption, and try to limit their consumption of global resources while at the same time helping developing countries to strengthen their ability to develop in a sustainable way. Diversity is the basic feature of today's world. The international community should respect countries of different history, culture, religious beliefs, and social systems to choose their own way of sustainable development in the spirit of openness and tolerance.

To jointly promote sustainable development, the international community should explore effective models of growing a green economy. Since the outbreak of the global financial crisis, the green economy is growing rapidly. While there are no uniform standards or models for the concept, a green economy should be pursued according to the actual conditions of a country, and thus we should support individual countries' independent decisions as to the method and process of promoting a green economy. While developing the green economy, more job opportunities should be created to reduce poverty and improve people's livelihood. Emphasis should be put on the development of science, technology, education and green technology and innovation of technology transfer modes. We should try to raise investment efficiency while cutting the cost and risk of the transformation to a green economy. Attention should be paid to the growth of green production and consumption modes, including the exploration of green products. Meanwhile, we should also stress mutual benefit by not practicing protectionism in the name of the green economy. We should pursue a green economy as an effective way of promoting sustainable development in all countries and advancing the global economic recovery.

To jointly promote sustainable development, we should improve mechanisms of global governance. We need joint efforts by all countries. The international community should strengthen cooperation, consensus and mutual trust. The United Nations should play a leading role in developing an effective institutional framework of sustainable development. Its capacity for guidance, coordination and implementation should be enhanced so that it can better integrate the three pillars of economic growth, social progress and environmental protection. Developing countries' right of speech and decision-making must be upheld to help those countries with their difficulties in funds, technologies and capacity building. A new type of partnership for sustainable development that includes the participation of international agencies, governments and the public should be set up. Meanwhile, we need sustainable development goals as a guide, to point in a clear direction without limiting any individual country's development.

China is ready to live up to its responsibilities. The more it develops, the more opportunities China will create and the greater its contribution will be to the world. I'd like to announce here that China will contribute $6 million to UN Environment Program trust fund for projects and activities that help developing countries raise capacity for environmental protection. China will help other developing countries train managerial and technical personnel for environmental protection, ecological preservation and desertification control, providing some countries with automatic weather observing stations, aerological radar station equipment and forest protection equipment. Based on the experience of local pilot programs, China will set up a global science and technology cooperation website for practical methods of local sustainable development. China will make available 200 million yuan ($ 31.7 million) for a three-year international project to help small island nations, lesser-developed countries and African countries tackle climate change.

Promoting sustainable development is a great cause that will benefit both current and future generations. Today, the human population is standing at a new starting point of history and is faced with the historical choice of which kind of world it will leave to future generations while bearing the double responsibilities of promoting sustainable development and a global economic recovery. I hope this conference will bear rich fruit, illustrate a new blueprint that we are all longing for, and work out a new contract ensuring the harmonious coexistence between human beings and nature. China stands ready to work with the international community to share opportunities and meet challenges, and to write a new chapter for the cause of mankind's sustainable development.