The seventh Kubuqi International Desert Forum takes place in Ordos, North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on July 27. [Photo/china.com.cn]

The seventh Kubuqi International Desert Forum took place in Ordos in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region on July 27.

The forum has been recognized by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) as a platform for exchange and the promotion of ideas on global desertification control and green economic development.

Over 400 participants from some 30 countries attended the forum, including scientists, senior government officials, businessmen, and representatives from international organizations.

Under the theme “Greening the Belt and Road, Building the Ecological Civilization,” this year's forum discussed desertification control methods and the preservation of biodiversity, as well as green industrial innovations and innovative financial mechanisms that contribute to poverty alleviation and achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

António Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations, sent a congratulatory letter to the forum, in which he commended China for its enormous contribution to the governance of global ecological environment.

Sun Chunlan, vice-premier of China’s State Council, addressed the opening ceremony. She said that the Kubuqi model of land reclamation has been widely recognized by the international community, and is now being promoted for wider application in other parts of the world.

Wang Wenbiao, chairman of the Elion Resources Group, briefed the attendees on their newly-invented techniques for planting trees in the desert.　

The UNCCD 2019 Land for Life Award ceremony also took place during the forum, celebrating three award winners.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the government of Inner Mongolia, the United Nations Environment Programme and the UNCCD secretariat, the event was co-hosted by the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs, the government of Ordos and the Elion Public Welfare Foundation.