Hosted by the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, the “2024 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition” (2024MIECF) is held from today (28 March) for three days in Cotai Expo, The Venetian Macao under the theme “Reaching the Dual Carbon Goals through Green Transformation”. This year, the exhibition area has reached its historical high of 12,000 square metres. Five exhibition areas are set up, featuring over 400 exhibitors. This three-day event will have over 20 thematic activities held. Various high-profile guests are invited, such as Ruihe Tu, Head of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) China Office and Co-chair of Result Group of the Planet in UN-China Sustainable Development Co-operation Framework, and other experts, scholars and industrial representatives from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Portuguese-speaking countries and Southeast Asian countries. Utilising  MIECF’s exhibition platform, they will share and discuss popular environmental protection issues, including the progress of global environmental protection, green transformation, ESG (environmental, social and governance), green finance, and the green technology industry in order to jointly explore green business opportunities.

The 2024MIECF is supported by the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China as special supporting organisations. It is co-organised by the governments of the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region (PPRD) and co-ordinated by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA). The event serves as a professional forum and exhibition on “carbon neutrality” for the third year. By aligning the country’s “dual carbon” goals and the key environmental protection policies enacted by the Macao SAR Government, including the Long-term Decarbonidation Strategy of Macao, MIECF is committed to further facilitating international exchange and co-operation on environmental protection between governments, industries, universities, research institutes, users and investors, so as to constantly leverage the role of “MICE + industry” and facilitate the “1+4” key industries and different parties of  MIECF to explore international green business opportunities, therefore fostering the appropriate economic diversification and sustainable development.

Exploiting MIECF’s platform to promote green transformation and development

The opening ceremony of the 2024MIECF was officiated by Ho Iat Seng, Chief Executive of Macao Special Administrative Region; Zhou Ji, Executive Vice Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Central Committee, and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council; Zheng Xincong, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region; Liu Xianfa, Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao Special Administrative Region, among other guests.

At the opening ceremony, Tam Vai Man, Director of the Environmental Protection Bureau of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, delivered a speech. He stated that in accordance with the country’s “dual carbon” goals, the Macao SAR Government has put forward multiple carbon reduction measures in terms of alternative clean energy, green transport, energy saving and carbon emissions reduction, waste reduction and recycling and other fields. As the blueprint for Macao’s cause of carbon emissions reduction, the Long-term Decarbonisation Strategy of Macao, implemented last year, proposes six key strategies to push forward carbon reduction in all aspects in an orderly manner and lead the public to practice environmental protection. He added that in the future, the Macao SAR Government will continue to orderly carry out carbon reduction and co-create a green, low-carbon Macao with all residents. He stressed that as an important platform for Mainland China, especially the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region, to exchange and co-operate with the international sector, MIECF has closely followed China’s and Macao SAR’s environmental policies and direction, as well as the country’s 14^th Five-Year Plan, the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, environmental development goals set out in Macao’s second Five-Year Plan and the “1+4” appropriate diversification development strategy. The event has gathered momentum from professional sectors at home and abroad to deepen international environmental protection co-operation. Moreover, serving as a professional forum and exhibition on “carbon neutrality” for the third year, the 2024MIECF has served as a demonstration and leading role in accelerating the green development of industries. He hoped that participants would  learn about cutting-edge and innovative environmental protection information and discover green business opportunities through a series of high-end thematic conferences, green forums, project promotional meetings and green matching sessions. The Macao SAR Government will foster international and regional green co-operation and transformation while boosting Macao’s high-quality economic development, thus making greater contributions to combat global climate change.

Yuan Da, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China, representing Zheng Shanjie, Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China; Sun Shouliang, Director General of Department of General Affairs, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, representing Huang Runqiu, Minister of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China; Chen Rubiao, Counsel of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China; Ding Zhijun, Deputy Director of the Department of Energy Conservation and Comprehensive Utilization, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China and other guests were also invited to give keynote addresses.

Later,  Ruihe Tu, Head of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) China Office and Co-chair of Result Group of the Planet in UN-China Sustainable Development Co-operation Framework, delivered a keynote speech on “Global Environmental Governance: Progress and Outlook”. He reviewed the progress of global environmental governance over the past 50 years and discussed the current situation and challenges and the key areas for action in the coming years. He focused on several major achievements made in the global environmental governance sector in the past two years, covering issues such as plastic pollution and biodiversity, allowing the environmental sector to plan ahead.

Over 20 themed activities to boost green exchanges and co-operation

During MIECF, over 20 themed activities will be held by the co-ordinators or professional institutions in the form of forums, seminars, exhibition conferences and thematic matching sessions to share the latest information on environmental protection and tap into environmental business opportunities in the international market.

The “Green Business Co-operation Day: Session 1” of the Green Forum held this afternoon was themed “New Business Opportunities in ESG – Building a Circular Economy Ecosystem”. Panellists discussed how “1+4” key industries can integrate with ESG to achieve high-quality and sustainable development for the green economy. The following “Session 2: Pan-Pearl River Delta Environmental Protection Industry Conference for Co-operation and Exchange” was aimed at promoting regional co-operation of the environmental protection industry in the Pan-Pearl River Delta for green development.

Sessions 3 and 4 will be held on the second day of MIECF. Experts and scholars will discuss how to develop green paths on the themes “Creating a Blueprint for a Carbon Neutral City to Tackle Climate Change” and “Implementing Green Development Solutions to Promote Urban Transformation”.

Covering Macao-Hengqin Synergy Business Matching on Environmental Protection, SME Environmental Procurement from Integrated Tourism and Leisure Enterprises, Big Health Green Supply Chain, Green Technology and Carbon Trading and International Green Energy, the themed business matching sessions will be held in these three days to create green commerce and trade platforms for enterprises and assist them in seizing international green co-operation business opportunities.

New products unveiled in five exhibition areas of MIECF’s green business platform

This edition has set up five exhibition areas to exhibit products and services related to environmental protection, including carbon neutrality technology, energy management, water resource management, green transport, eco-city integration, and green buildings. The “Green Smart Industries Exhibition Area”, established for the first time, helps enterprises connect with green technologies and supply chains for their green upgrades and transformation. In addition, many exhibitors launch their products at MIECF, further proving its role as the green platform.

Furthermore, the Green Transformation Service Counter is established this year for the first time. Enterprises interested in fostering green transformation are welcome to consult there. They can learn more information and services about ESG, green certification, and green technology transformation, among other fields, and look for new directions and opportunities for green development.

Promoting “green and low-carbon” approaches and encouraging low-carbon initiatives

The final day (30 March) of the event is the “Green Public Day”. The venue will be open for free. Citizens are welcome to visit the Green Showcase and participate in a range of green educational activities. Through MIECF’s green platform, the public can learn about the latest environmental protection information and practice the “green and low-carbon” lifestyle. Free shuttle buses will be available for the public to travel between the northern district, the central district, Taipa and MIECF’s venue.  The technical visit session is arranged on the same day at Cotai Ecological Zones and Macao Electronic and Electrical Equipment Recycling Treatment Facility.

This year’s MIECF has also launched the activity of version 2.0 of “Macao Carbon Inclusion” and established an innovative mode for reducing carbon emissions. Visitors are recommended to complete the missions through the “Macao Carbon Inclusion” WeChat mini program and co-create a green, low-carbon environment.