SUSTAINABLE

QINGYUAN
Action Plan to Implement the
Sustainable Development Goals
CONTRIBUTIONS
This report entitled, ‘Sustainable Qingyuan’, explores how Qingyuan
can collaborate with the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
(LBBD) through the twin town developments of Castle Green in the
London Borough of Barking & Dagenham and the Sino-UK Innovation
Town (SUIT) in Qingyuan. The two town developments, in addition to
economic benefits, will aim to achieve a mutually beneficial partnership
in the pursuit of the United Nations (UN) Agenda for Sustainable
Development 2030 (ASD 2030). This represents the first step towards
a comprehensive strategy of achieving SDGs through the development
of innovation towns in LBBD and Qingyuan where the two municipal
governments proactively drive collaboration with local organisations and
businesses to design and deliver changes.

CONTRIBUTIONS
Professor Kiran Jude Fernandes, FAcSS, Vice-Chair of the UK National
Commission of UNESCO and Chair in Operations Management from
Durham University: provided the conceptual framework for this report.

Professor Yu Xiong from the University of Northumbria: supplied the

data, interpretation of the data and helped draft the report.

Jiamin Liang (Northumbria University): for providing the draft report

and qualitative analysis.

Kieran Purvis (Durham University): for providing the draft report and
SDG analysis.

Matthew Rabagliati from the UK National Commission for UNESCO:

provided the critical feedback for the report.

Min Yang, Chairman of ASF Group is the project initiator of this report.

Conflict of Interest
All contributors have no conflict of interest to report.
CONTENTS
ABSTRACT 4
Section 1 - Background of Qingyuan 5

1.1 Location of Qingyuan 5

1.2 Economic and Industry trends in Qingyuan 7
1.3 Qingyuan City’s 2016-2035 Plan 8

Section 2 – Partnership opportunities for the pursuit of SDGs 11

2.1 Opportunities arising from the recognition of a UNESCO

World Heritage Site in Qingyuan 11
2.2 Qingyuan – Barking & Dagenham Partnership 12
2.3 New opportunities for international collaboration to
achieve sustainable development goals revealed
through the Qingyuan-Barking & Dagenham partnership 14
2.4 Opportunities in relation to each of the seventeen
sustainable development goals 15

Section 3 – How can association with UNESCO help Qingyuan

pursue the Sustainable Development Goals? 41

Help for Qingyuan to engage more in global networks 43

1. References 45
 Abstract
Qingyuan, located adjacent to the Pearl River
Delta in China, aims to foster global connections
and become a flagship city for the implementation
of the ASD 2030. Qingyuan will embrace the 17
Global challenges that have been established and
ratified by the United Nations. This report shows
how Qingyuan will leverage its unique local context
and resources to pursue the SDGs across all
policy aspects of the City, viz: health, education,
agriculture, water, environment, economy and
justice.

The report also explores how Qingyuan can

collaborate with the London Borough of Barking
and Dagenham (LBBD) to achieve a mutually
beneficial partnership in the pursuit of SDGs
through projects such as Castle Green in LBBD
and the Sino-UK Innovation Town (SUIT) in
Qingyuan. This represents the first step towards
a comprehensive strategy in Qingyuan that
is orientated around achieving SDGs; with
the municipal Government proactively driving
collaboration with local organisations and
businesses to design and deliver changes.

03 Abstract
Section 1
Background Of Qingyuan
1.1 Location of Qingyuan
SSituated in the northern part of
Guangdong Province, Qingyuan City
(see Figure 1.1) connects the provincial
capital Guangzhou to Hunan Province
and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous
Region (GZAR). Qingyuan spans 7,342
square kilometres and is the largest
city by area in Guangdong province.
However, it has a low population of just
3,698,412 compared to its provincial
peers and hence a lower population
density. This lower density indicates a
potential for the region to grow and
Figure 1.1 Qingyuan Map
Source: China Tour Map (2019)
Figure 1.2 Administrative Division of Qingyuan
City
Source: http://www.citypopulation.de/php/china-
guangdong-admin.php
develop when compared to other parts
of Guandong province.
The administrative jurisdiction of
Qingyuan City (see Figure 1.2) includes
Qingcheng District, Qingxin District,
Yingde City, Lianzhou City, Yangshan
County, Fogang County, Liannan Yao
Autonomous County; and Lianshan
Zhuang and Yao Autonomous County.
These regions have a combined total
area of 19,200 square kilometres.
Qingyuan’s City Government is
responsible for its urban planning (about
3650 square kilometres – see Figure 1.3)
including the districts of Qingcheng and
Qingxin. It has jurisdiction over the four
main streets of Fengcheng, Dongcheng,
Zhouxin and Henghe as well as twelve
towns and two forests. The city centre
consists of four towns namely Taihe,
Taiping, Sankeng and Shantang in
the Qingcheng District and Qingxin
District, with a total area of 1881 square
kilometres.
Section 1 04
Section 1
Background Of Qingyuan

NAME POPULATION (2018) Area (KM2) Sensity (KM2)

Qingcheng 847,700 1296.3 654

Qingxin 729,300 2353.4 310
Yingde 982,900 5634.2 174
Fogang 316,100 1295.2 244
Lianshan zhuang and
yao autonomous county 94,500 1218.5 78
Liannan yao
autonomous county 134,700 1240.9 109
Lianzhou 383,400 2667.6 144
Yangshan 371,400 3329.5 112
Figure 1.3 Statistic Data of Qingyuan City
Source: the author

These statistics also show the population density of each area inside Qingyuan.

1.2 Economic and Industry trends in
Qingyuan
Official statistics (see Figure 1.4) show
that Qingyuan City has the fastest
growing economy in Guangdong with
plans to act as a “beacon” with a focus
on industrial technology transfer and
industry modernisation. Qingyuan is
now the home of three provincial-level
industrial zones, each of which aims to
attract manufacturers currently based
in the Pearl River Delta (PRD). Specific
interest is in attracting green energy
and high-tech start-ups. The Qingyuan
Government has also decided to build
a high-tech cluster with associated
Colleges and Universities. These
trends will be further assisted with
emerging plans for a new and upgraded
infrastructure such as expressways and
railways; along with two more airports in
Lianzhou and Yingde
In 2018/2019, the GDP of Qingyuan
reached 156.52 billion yuan (approx.
15.62 Bn GBP); an increase of 4% from
the previous year. This has primarily
been due to a growth in the primary
sector (23.13 billion yuan) and secondary
sector (54.29 billion yuan) of 4.6% and
6.5% respectively. The tertiary sector
of the economy has contributed 23.6%,
or 79.1 billion yuan, to the regional
economic growth; an increase of 1.9%.

Figure 1.4 GDP of Qingyuan

Source: the author

05 Section 1
Section 1
Background Of Qingyuan
1.3 Qingyuan City’s 2016-2035 Plan
The government of Guangdong
Province has approved the Qingyuan
City’s Overall Plan (2016 - 2035)
to achieve long-term sustainable
development in Qingyuan. This
plan covers the construction and
development of technologies,
education, business, environment,
economy, tourism, agriculture,
transportation and wellbeing. It includes
both short-term and (2020) long-term
(2035) targets focused on developing
an eco-friendly industrial zone, develops
local tourism and creates areas in
which the environment and ecology are
protected.
1.3.1 Plans on Technology, Innovation
and Business Development
The construction of the 3.5 million
square metres Qingyuan Jingu
Science City establishes a new role for
Qingyuan. With an overall investment
of over 30 billion yuan (Qingyuan
Government, 2019), this science city
is divided into three main functional
areas: research, business development
and living support. It aims to support
high-tech start-ups, SMEs and large
companies and build up an innovation
cluster.
According to a report on the
implementation of the 2018 Plan for
Qingyuan’s Economic and Social
Development and on the 2019 Draft
Plan for Qingyuan Economic and Social
Development (Development and Reform
Bureau of Qingyuan, 2019), there has
been an increase in the innovation and
entrepreneurship activities in Qingyuan.
With the newly issued Ten Policy for
Incentives for Science and Technology
Innovation in Qingyuan City (Technology
Bureau of Qingyuan, 2018) and Several
Opinions on Qingyuan City on Further
Accelerating the Construction of
Talented Highlands (Human Resources
and Social Security Bureau of Qingyuan,
2018), Qingyuan City plans to further
optimise its structure on foreign trade
and actively explore emerging markets
via the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative and
improve its resilience of international
trade.
It also plans to accelerate the
construction of e-commerce and
m-commerce systems and is seeking
to establish up-to five e-commerce
enterprises with domestic influence. It
also plans to implement e-commerce
and m-commerce systems in rural
demonstration projects and help
Qingxin District and Yingde City
to improve its rural e-commerce
infrastructure. In addition to this, it has
formulated a clear marketing plan to
promote these development plans as
investment strategies in the key areas
of Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai.
1.3.2 Plans on Training and Education
Qingyuan is unequivocally committed
to transforming and upgrading its
infrastructure and making it a modern
region in China. This has led to
unprecedented growth and with growth
comes the challenges of education and
training. The demand for technical skills
is growing and further improvements
are needed in terms of specialised
and skilled training. Combined with
the strategy of ‘Internet + (plus)’,
Qingyuan plans to provide strong
technical support and new possibilities
for improving the quality of Qingyuan
education and ensure that there is no
regional north-south divide. The report
of Several Opinions on Qingyuan City on
Further Accelerating the Construction of
Talented Highlands (Human Resources
and Social Security Bureau of Qingyuan,
2018) also lists the essential skills that
Qingyuan needs (gap analysis) in terms
of modern education and specialised
training.
Section 1 06
Section 1
Background Of Qingyuan
1.3.3 Plans on Environment Protection
New plans will strengthen protections
for a natural ecosystem in Qingyuan
with a special focus on the threats
from unauthorised and unplanned
construction. The aim is to promote
sustainable construction. Qingyuan
has published the Administrative
Regulations of Qingyuan City on the
Essential Area of Protecting Ecology
to implement these plans (People,
2016). Qingyuan now has over 71.29%
eco-counties as a result of these plans.
This plan also covers the districts of
Qingcheng and Qingxin, with a total
area of 3,605 square kilometres. The
planned ecological control area, within
the planning area, accounts for around
61.25% of the space available. In the
northern four towns of Qingxin District,
the proportion of urban ecology area is
50.27%, and the proportion of natural
ecological areas is 73.16%.
07 Section 1
1.3.4 Plans on Agriculture
Development
Qingyuan is implementing the ‘Beautiful
Village 2025’ strategy, which aims to
coordinate and promote sustainable
living and improve the quality of life of
rural communities. Eighteen villages
and towns, including Lianyu Village in
Lianjiangkou Town of Yingde City and
“Kowloon Township” in Yingde City,
were built as the first batch of villages
in the Qingyuan Rural Revitalization
Comprehensive Demonstration
Zone. By creating Lianbu Village in
Lianjiangkou Town, Yingde City became
an exemplary site to showcase how
urban and rural areas can be integrated.
Improved industrial planning has
expanded and upgraded agricultural
industries such as the farming of
vegetables, bamboo, watermelon,
guava, tea and citrus fruit by linking
enterprise, economic associations
and farmers – also known as the
linkage mechanism for agricultural
development. This plan continues to
develop projects for small and medium
rivers in the mountainous areas.
Section 2
Partnership opportunities for the pursuit of SDGs
2.1 Opportunities arising from the
recognition of a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in Qingyuan
UNESCO regards acceleration towards
the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) as an imperative that aligns
with its universal mandate to build
peace, eradicate poverty and promote
development through education. As
an organisation, it seeks to directly
deliver on the promise of a better future
through SDGs and support countries,
regions and organisations in their
pursuit of SDGs.
A key part of UNESCO’s strategy to
deliver on SDGs involves leveraging
and supporting its global network of
UNESCO designations like Mogao Caves
or the Great Wall of China. As a result,
UNESCO designation sites worldwide
are actively planning and strategizing
with the SDGs in mind. There is ample
evidence to show that UNESCO sites
are taking actions that directly or
indirectly contribute to the SDGs most
relevant for a local area. For example;
Stonehenge World Heritage Site in the
UK prioritise contributions towards good
health and wellbeing (goal 3), industry,
innovation and infrastructure (goal
9) and life on land (goal 15). A recent
study for the UK National Commission
for UNESCO identified not only how
different UK designations individually
prioritise and pursue specific SDGs, but
also show how building stronger local
partnerships with individuals, companies
and other designations are being
created.
At present, southern China has relatively
few UNESCO sites, and Qingyuan does
not have any. The well-known UNESCO
sites in southern China are Kaiping
Diaolou as well as the Historic Centre
of Macao. In the neighbouring province
of Guangxi, the South China Karst is
recognised as a UNESCO world heritage
site for its natural and geological
significance. As with other UNESCO
sites around the world; these play a
key role, supported by UNESCO, in the
pursuit of SDGs.
Therefore, pursuing the recognition
of prominent cultural and geological
assets within the Qingyuan area as
UNESCO designations has the potential
to make a significant contribution
to the city’s aspiration to become a
leader in the pursuit of the Sustainable
Development Goals. The presence
of such designations would have
the potential to connect the city to
established networks of organisations
- each with experience in the pursuit
and accomplishment of SDGs. Potential
sites include the Sanpai Yao Village, set
in a unique karst landscape and having
both natural and cultural significance.
It provides a living account of a unique
and distinctive tradition and people in an
unusual and distinct landscape.
Section 1 08
Section 2
Partnership opportunities for the pursuit of SDGs
2.2 Twin-town Partnership
Why Qingyuan and Barking and
Dagenham?
Both the Qingyuan Municipal Peoples
Government (QMPG) and the LBBD
have set out plans for the future
of their respective regions that are
characterised by a strong commitment
to sustainable development. Qingyuan
City’s Overall Plan (2016-2035) has been
developed to align with the agenda
of the 19th National Congress of the
Communist Party of China. The focus is
on the implementation of the UNs 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Similarly, LBBD has published a four-
year corporate plan and a twenty-year
vision which states a clear commitment
to the SDG.
In November 2018, a delegation from
LBBD visited Qingyuan and signed a
Statement of Friendship (SoF0 that
established the two cities as ‘friendship
cities’. To further enhance the
relationship between these two cities,
the local governments of LBBD and
Qingyuan expressed their support and
commitment towards the development
of the twin towns of Castle Green in
London and the Sino-UK Innovation
Town (SUIT) in Qingyuan in July 2019.
Castle Green is one of the largest
urban regeneration projects in London.
It is located in East London (LBBD)
and is a public-private partnership
(PPP) between BSF International (the
UK subsidiary of ASF Group) and the
commercial arm of LBBD - BeFirst.
According to current plans, Castle
Green (total area of 78 hectares), will
deliver up to 15,000 new homes, create
up to 8,000 new jobs, build brand
new public spaces and will have an
international Trade Hub based around
the existing Eurohub. The Eurohub is of
particular interest as it is a key railway
transport hub between the UK, mainland
Europe and beyond. With the first train
to ever arrive from Yiwu in China to the
Eurohub in London in 2017, Castle Green
09 Section 2
is poised to become the final destination
in the Belt and Road Initiative set out by
China.
On the other side of the Belt and
Road Initiative in Qingyuan, SUIT
will complement the development
strategies of both local governments by
fostering collaboration between the UK
and China in the areas of technology,
education, international trade, and
investment. The Innovation Town will be
comprised of the Sino-UK Trade Hub
(SUTH), the Technology and Innovation
Park (TIC), the Education & Cultural
Exchange Centre (ECEC), and the Smart
City. Each of these components seeks
to target the aforementioned focus
areas with the intent of further progress
towards the fulfilment of the Agenda for
Sustainable Development as laid out by
the UN.
How the twin-town partnership can
accelerate SDG progress
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development was adopted in
September 2015 by 193 member
states, who subsequently took steps
to incorporate the seventeen goals
into their national policies and plans.
The goals themselves are broken down
further into 169 targets. Besides, the
framework provides 244 indicators
that can be used to monitor, and track
progress made towards the goals and
targets.
For a city or region to be able
to monitor and demonstrate its
progress towards SDGs, studies have
shown that it is useful to develop an
integrated monitoring framework,
as adopted by other regions around
the world. This can be implemented
on a manageable scale through the
establishment of innovation towns
as seen in the partnership between
LBBD and Qingyuan. In this case, the
pursuit of SDGs in both cities through
Castle Green and SUIT is accelerated
via a process of collaborative learning,
encouraging innovation & development,
Section 2
Partnership opportunities for the pursuit of SDGs
and supporting more effective policy
design.
How the twin-town partnership can
accelerate SDG progress
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development was adopted in
September 2015 by 193 member
states, who subsequently took steps
to incorporate the seventeen goals
into their national policies and plans.
The goals themselves are broken down
further into 169 targets. Besides, the
framework provides 244 indicators
that can be used to monitor, and track
progress made towards the goals and
targets.
For a city or region to be able
to monitor and demonstrate its
progress towards SDGs, studies have
shown that it is useful to develop an
integrated monitoring framework,
as adopted by other regions around
the world. This can be implemented
on a manageable scale through the
establishment of innovation towns
as seen in the partnership between
LBBD and Qingyuan. In this case, the
pursuit of SDGs in both cities through
Castle Green and SUIT is accelerated
via a process of collaborative learning,
encouraging innovation & development,
2.3 New opportunities for international
collaboration to achieve SDGs
revealed through the twin-town
partnership
UNESCO designations in the UK
and worldwide frequently seek
to collaborate in their pursuit of
sustainable development goals. Through
their affiliation and membership of
UNESCO; important sites, which include
historic buildings, culturally diverse
cities and geologically remarkable
regions, signal their commitment to
the pursuit of the seventeen globally
recognised sustainable development
goals. This lays the foundation for
greater collaboration with other
UNESCO designations and connected
and supporting more effective policy
design.
How the twin-town partnership can raise
global awareness of the SDGs
It is clear from regions like Helsinki
or Boston (USA) that SDG’s can only
deliver tangible results if they are
implemented at a local level. Provincial
and municipal governments assume
responsibility for their respective
regions and bring to bear detailed
local knowledge to create effective
solutions. Peer-to-peer partnerships
at a local level, such as the inter-
region partnership between the two
towns in Qingyuan and LBBD, have
the potential to create new insights
through an exchange of direct, local
knowledge and experience that is not
necessarily available at national levels of
government.
The opportunity to develop insights into
how cities accelerate progress towards
SDGs is of interest to many other
regions around the world. By pioneering
collaborative action for SDGs at a
regional level, other regions may follow
and develop their partnerships. Local
progress towards SDGs has a direct
impact on individual lives – thus will help
in creating awareness of the SDG.
organisations who recognise common
objectives and in turn, opportunities
for mutually beneficial partnerships.
Existing collaborations are based on
the exchange of knowledge, resource
sharing and other opportunities for
synergy. This two towns collaboration
will bring in more attention from
UNESCO to Qingyuan as a city, and
make a significant impact globally.
Section 2 10
Section 2
Partnership opportunities for the pursuit of SDGs

2.3 New opportunities for international goals. This lays the foundation for
collaboration to achieve sustainable greater collaboration with other
development goals revealed through UNESCO designations and connected
the Qingyuan-Barking & Dagenham organisations who recognise common
partnership objectives and in turn, opportunities
for mutually beneficial partnerships.
UNESCO designations in the UK Existing collaborations are based on
and worldwide frequently seek the exchange of knowledge, resource
to collaborate in their pursuit of sharing and other opportunities for
sustainable development goals. Through synergy.
their affiliation and membership of
UNESCO; important sites, which include
historic buildings, culturally diverse
cities and geologically remarkable
regions, signal their commitment to
the pursuit of the seventeen globally
recognised sustainable development

Goal 1: No Poverty

1. Transparent communication and products in each of the innovation

shared understanding between
different stakeholders is crucial in the
fight to reduce poverty
A lot could be done to make progress
in this area. However, a risk is that
attempts at improving the living
conditions for poorer communities could
be interpreted as an implementation of
nationalisation programmes. Through
the efforts of both innovation towns
and each local governments’ efforts
can help in communicating progress in
tackling poverty to a wider audience to
foster better understanding.
towns. Furthermore, the Sino-UK Trade
Hub (SUTH) can act as a platform to
facilitate entrusted sales agreements
with targeted entities for stocks of
unsold agricultural products to provide
an income flow for poverty-stricken
villages in Qingyuan. Likewise, relevant
institutions, organisations, and local
governments can actively market and
promote local goods to boost demand
and increase the income flow of low-
income areas.

2. Joint exploration of inclusive

business models by developing
innovative products and services to
better serve communities affected by
poverty
More could be done by using suitable
collaborative software to track and
analyse poverty indicators in LBBD
and Qingyuan. This can be achieved
by testing and implementing said

11 Section 2
Section 2
Partnership opportunities for the pursuit of SDGs
Goal 2: Zero Hunger
1. Collaborating with local
government institutions, charities,
and development finance institutions
to increase financing for sustainable
agriculture.
Several food banks associated with
the innovation towns aim to provide
emergency food parcels to help people
on a short to medium-term basis and
various action groups are actively
engaged in reliving child poverty.
Qingyuan could learn from LBBD how to
create its solutions for alleviating hunger
with the view of becoming a “zero
hunger” city.
2. Innovation towns attract talent and
high-tech businesses from overseas
with expertise in smart agriculture.
Smart agriculture has the potential
to achieve the goal of zero hunger.
It involves the application of modern
technology in the agriculture industry to
increase sustainability and productivity.
Various agricultural companies could
benefit from access to such IoT
technologies to increase the precision
and productivity of farming methods.
Through a collaboration with LBBD,
Qingyuan could share knowledge and
expertise in this area. LBBD could
host joint competitions and business
acceleration programmes that provide
bridges between Qingyuan and the UK.
High-tech SMEs in the area of smart
farming could participate and gain
access to additional support via the
partnership.
3. Scale-up the global business
network and act as a platform for
farmers and agricultural companies.
The agricultural companies and
farmers in Qingyuan still need a chance
to get in touch with the world. The
innovation towns will benefit agriculture
in Qingyuan by building up a stable
business network and expanding
the range of business opportunities
available to farmers.
4. Help to build agricultural
e-commerce for farmers and SMEs.
The innovation towns will facilitate the
creation of social e-commerce platforms
to reduce the food waste across the
supply chain for more people and help
the farmers and SMEs to find the market
needs.
5. Create online learning and training
programmes to help technological
upgrades in the agricultural sector.
The University City in Castle Green and
the Education and Cultural Exchange
Centre in SUIT can assist in successful
technological transfers and the
provision of training and education
programmes for the farmers and other
relevant users.
6. Build up test base for high-tech
agricultural SMEs and provide funds
on the application for using fewer
natural resources to produce food,
reduce food waste and loss.
To promote innovation and activities
that could deliver the sustainable
growth in the agriculture, it is essential
to provide a test base for the innovative
applications, to which the innovation
towns have components that are
specifically catered to achieve this.
Section 2 12
Section 2
Partnership opportunities for the pursuit of SDGs
Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being
1. Joint-research and international
technology transfer on precision
medicine.
Precision medicine is an approach
to patient care that allows medical
experts to choose the most appropriate
treatment to help patients based on the
genetic understanding of their disease.
It provides more personal and accurate
treatment to achieve better results.
This emerging approach area of
research has proven to be more
efficient on diseases such as cancer
than traditional therapies. LBBD could
help with joint-research initiatives in
this area and help Qingyuan develop
Goal 4: Quality Education
There are ten colleges and universities
located in Qingyuan: Yingde Vocational
and Technical College; Fogang
Vocational and Technical College;
Yangshan Vocational and Technical
College; Qingyuan Nanhua Technology
and Business University; Qingyuan Open
University; Lianzhou Open University;
Lianan and Yao Open University; Yingde
Open University; Qingyuan Vocational
and Technical College; Yingde
Transportation College.
13 Section 2
a cluster of activities in the area of
precision medicine systems.
2. Early diagnosis and intervention for
older people.
Early diagnosis and intervention could
improve the quality of life for people.
Such early diagnosis can benefit
diseases like Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
Qingyuan needs to build up the early
invention teams and older adults mental
health teams and provide these services
for the benefit of the local society.
These teams and organisations can
grow from R&D businesses incubated
within the innovation towns.
1. ‘University City’ and the ‘Education
and Cultural Exchange Centre’
To cater to the growing need for
education and training, an Education
and Cultural Exchange Centre (ECEC)
will be established in SUIT. This centre
will deliver vocational training centres,
new university campuses, and other
vital educational infrastructure for the
region.
In Castle Green, a purpose-built
‘University City’ will be established,
where new campuses from existing
Section 2
Partnership opportunities for the pursuit of SDGs
universities will be set up in this cluster.
Furthermore, new student spaces,
utilities, and accommodation will be
included in this ‘University City’. These
new centres for education will also
allow for foreign student exchanges,
internship opportunities, testing grounds
for new curricula, and more.
2. Increase cross-border student
exchange programmes
Providing opportunities for local
students in LBBD and Qingyuan to go
on student exchange is a very good
way of exposing them to new cultures
and experiences. New infrastructure
and educational centres within the
innovation towns will serve as centres
for international student exchange by
collaborating with universities and other
relevant educational institutions.
Goal 5: Gender Equality
1. Share knowledge and understanding
of providing social protection for all
women and girls.
All the relevant organisations,
communities and agencies need to set
up feasible strategic plans to issue and
enforce more equitable policies and
regulations for residents of all genders.
Both innovation towns will implement
these policies to ensure that people,
regardless of their gender, can succeed
on an equal playing field.
3. Provide training programmes for
local start-ups and SMEs to progress
their lifelong learning.
Continuous training and lifelong learning
are key aspects for SMEs to achieve
sustainable success, productivity and
innovation. Skills in management,
HR and finance are essential for the
managerial staff to hold, and the
continuous training on relevant work
and qualification are crucial for the
employees. Training programmes will
be present in both innovation towns
to develop and implement to meet the
needs of SMEs.
2. Create awareness of the gender gap
by encouraging more people to voice
their opinion.
The best way to create awareness is to
find the most efficient ways to spread
information and awareness. More
collaborative activities and projects such
as the establishment of public forums
and community consultations within the
innovation towns can foster a better
understanding of issues with gender
equality.
Section 2 14
Section 2
Partnership opportunities for the pursuit of SDGs
Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Qingyuan aims to build a protected
drinking water source area to enhance
water security and hygiene. So far,
there are over 161 environmental
challenges related to drinking water
sources in Qingyuan which need to be
addressed by the end of 2019 (Three
improved water source projects have
been completed by Qingyuan as of
2019).
1. Explore efficient partnership models
to provide new wastewater treatment
solutions
The Technology Innovation Centre
(TIC) will harness the R&D capabilities
of renowned universities in China
and the UK to facilitate cooperation
between universities and industries
Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
1. Induce renewable energy
applications for Qingyuan
TIC will provide multi-faceted support to
technology start-ups and entrepreneurs
and facilitate their R&D activities,
technology commercialization and
growth through incubation services and
a roadshow fundraising platform, to
induce renewable energy applications.
There is an increasing need to focus on
the different forms of renewable energy
applications in the two innovation towns
15 Section 2
and support technology transfers.
By establishing new joint projects to
accelerate technologies to provide
wastewater treatment solutions, ‘new’
reusable sources of water for industry
and agriculture can be created, and
freshwater reserves can also be freed
up for use by humans and to optimise
natural capital.
2. Enhance funding channels to
enhance the financing mechanisms for
clean and reusable water.
TIC will support technology start-ups
and innovations in water treatment
and recycling to provide clean-water
solutions for local areas lacking safe
drinking water sources.
to keep sustainable energy flows. More
IoT applications could be used to help
build a sustainable energy city and
smart city.
2. Create global clean energy forums
for capacity building and attract more
participants.
TIC will be the base point for the
establishment of clean energy industry
funds, forums, and networks. This will
create spillover effects by encouraging
the development of renewable energy
Section 2
Partnership opportunities for the pursuit of SDGs
technologies and the proliferation
of said technologies in LBBD and
Qingyuan.
Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Qingyuan City’s Overall Plan 2016-
2013 states that Qingyuan will actively
explore new collaboration models and
mechanisms to encourage innovation
and will also strengthen connections
with other areas and promote transport
integration to help accelerate economic
growth. The innovation towns are
perfectly positioned to facilitate this
role.
1. Provide targeted internships for
young people to promote social
mobility and to enhance company
performance.
The educational centres in Castle
Green and SUIT will serve as centres
Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
1. Joint projects in the innovation
towns to create SDG Accelerator
Programmes.
The SDG Accelerator Programme
is a UNDP programme that aims to
help SMEs develop new products,
services or business models that
address the challenges embedded
in SDGs. The innovation towns can
3. Encourage experts and talented
engineers to visit the innovation towns
and help develop the clean-tech
industry.
for employment and vocational training
to ensure that young people can have
a diversified and applicable skill set to
meet the needs of SEMs in both local
and foreign job markets.
2. Explore a framework for business
engagement in education to create
full and productive employment and
decent work.
Collaboration between businesses
and university campuses in innovation
towns will foster greater business to
educational exchanges and ensure a
smooth transition for students into the
job market.
implement this idea and fund their own
SDG Accelerator Programmes, with
participants being sourced from both
LBBD and Qingyuan. LBBD can provide
the experience and expertise to guide
participants and to create a model to
encourage and attract SMEs excluded in
the programme start to integrate SDGs
in their business.
Section 2 16
Section 2
Partnership opportunities for the pursuit of SDGs
2. Create funding projects to attract
innovative high-tech start-ups.
TIC will establish a large network
of academics, research institutions,
innovative organizations, investment
funds and other potential partners;
organize networking events and
roadshows to integrate start-ups with
Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
1. Share understanding and knowledge
of social protection systems to help
prevent and reduce poverty.
The innovation towns can serve as
centres for education with regards to
social protection systems and can also
provide training for local communities
in both LBBD and Qingyuan to acquire
skills necessary to improve their
economic standing.
2. Create a training program for
entrepreneurship.
Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
1. Implement Smart City characteristics
to maximise sustainability
Both Castle Green and SUIT will
integrate Smart City technologies
(as advocated by UNESCO) and
attributes including the internet of
things (IoT), facial recognition security
systems, artificial intelligence (AI) in
transportation, AR & VR, and other
smart technologies to maximise the
sustainability and efficiency of the
locality.
17 Section 2
investors, innovative experts, mentors
and industry supply chains to facilitate
collaboration and development. Besides,
an Enterprise Innovation Fund will be
launched to raise funds in the GBA to
finance technology start-ups seeking to
enter the Chinese market.
3. Share knowledge and
understanding of the innovation
and entrepreneurial ecosystems, by
providing high-intensive connections
and efficient platform, resources could
be redistributed to the other levels not
limited to small elites.
4. Share knowledge on a well-
functioning financial system to
guarantee economies every chance to
drive growth.
2. Collaborate with relevant
stakeholders in Qingyuan to analyse
and increase the resilience of
interdependent systems such as
transportation and utilities.
3. Hold programmes with the police
and communities to inform public
safety campaigns.
Section 2
Partnership opportunities for the pursuit of SDGs
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
1. Ensure that all processes are as eco-
friendly as possible to ensure minimal
impact on the local and regional
environment
The innovation town will ensure
that resources are reused, and that
consumption and production is as
sustainable as possible by optimising
supply chains and use of materials.
Likewise, waste will be optimised to
ensure environmental impacts.
Goal 13: Climate Action
1. Encouraging greater climate
research and research that combats
negative climatological trends
Educational institutions including
universities, research centres, and high-
tech businesses can work together
within the developed innovation
towns to devise new solutions to
environmental issues and ways to
mitigate the effects of climate change.
2. Adopting low-carbon technology
applications to help and accelerate
2. Share understanding and
knowledge of social protection
systems to help prevent and reduce
poverty.
The educational centres of Castle Green
and SUIT will be centres of education
and training focusing on ensuring
that natural capital and resources are
protected to prevent environmental
degradation and subsequent poverty
linked to environmental disasters.
climate action.
The innovation towns will implement
Smart City technologies to reduce
the output of waste and pollution to
minimise environmental impact and to
slow down the trend of climate change.
3. Share knowledge and
understanding on ecology areas,
nature reserve parks, rivers and lakes.
4. Share the experience in speaking up
against negative lobbying on climate
action.
Section 2 18
Section 2
Partnership opportunities for the pursuit of SDGs
GOAL 14: LIFE BELOW WATER
Based on Qingyuan City’s Overall
Plan, the Qingyuan Government has
approved a plan for Hucheng Water
System and Landscape Planning for the
design of Qingyuan City. This ambitious
plan aims to build up Qingyuan as an
eco-friendly city with a green economy
and open spaces for leisure. The goal
is to develop the Hucheng water
system in Qingyuan City and to build
a magnificent lake city landscape with
an area of about 58 square kilometres
with one main river, three lakes and five
river streams (Qingyuan Government,
2019). Relying on the Beijiang River
and Lianjiang River systems, Qingyuan
aims to improve the regional ecological
network, build a drinking water source
protection condominium area, and
strengthen the joint prevention and
treatment of water pollution in the
basin.
Goal 15: Life on Land
Qingyuan City’s Overall Plan has set
out the target of building up important
ecological function areas in the region
to create a green circular ecological
barrier. The Plan also proposes an
ecological compensation mechanism. It
is suggested that a certain proportion of
funds be allocated from fiscal revenue
towards ecological construction to form
a relatively stable source of ecological
19 Section 2
1. Adopt position statements,
guidelines to help Qingyuan on the
water system landscape planning and
key river landscape design.
2. Share risk expertise with
governments and companies to better
predict and manage risks arising from
the future construction on river and
lakes.
3. Further research and quantify
the value of how the water system
contributes to the local economy and
natural habitats.
Joint research through educational
and business institutions in LBBD and
Qingyuan can bring in greater expertise
to provide technological solutions
towards existing water system issues
and better insight into the existing state
of water systems.
compensation funding. At the same
time, it is suggested that a piece of land
rent can be appropriately allocated for
ecological compensation in the land
rent.
The plan also proposes a municipal-
level ecological compensation award
fund, mobilisation of market resources
to participate in the construction of
Section 2
Partnership opportunities for the pursuit of SDGs
ecological compensation mechanism
and guide social funds to become
ecological compensation funds through
financial subsidies and the construction
of an “ecological special zone” similar
to the development zone. At the
Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
1. Collaborate with experts on crucial
issues to provide suggestions on the
high-risk areas.
2. Create platforms to raise awareness
and foster broad-based support for
systemic change.
Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals
1. The two innovation towns will share
experience to help Qingyuan to
strengthen the link between corporate
and societal value creation and align the
organization’s value creation strategy to
the Sustainable Development Goals.
2. Share an understanding of good
practice principles and guidelines which
better align business practices with the
SDGs.
3. Engage in multi-stakeholder initiatives
that advance sustainable development.
same time, it is also recommended
to establish and improve the financial
transfer payment system for ecological
compensation below the provincial level.
3. Create a continuous and progressive
capacity development programme
to guarantee the implementation of
peace and security.
4. The two innovation towns will
enhance the Collaboration with financial
service companies and stakeholders
to provide industry perspectives from
Governments, policymakers, legislators
and regulators on the sustainable
development impact of legislative,
regulatory and tax frameworks including
recommendations for improvement.
5. Create global forums for capacity
building.
Section 2 20
Section 3
How can association with UNESCO help Qingyuan
pursue the Sustainable Development Goals?
UNESCO in China is managed by the
Chinese National Commission for
UNESCO, which is based in Beijing. In
addition to this, there is a UNESCO
field office based in Beijing. This
office works to help China, and other
neighbouring countries, to achieve
its development priorities in line with
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development. This is done via five major
programmes including education, social
sciences, natural sciences, culture and
communication and information. The
primary activities undertaken by the
office include establishing UNESCO
Category 2 Centres that contribute
to the achievement of UNESCO’s
objectives, biosphere reserves, world
heritage sites and engagement in
policy-making and decision-making
processes work by organisations in and
around China. The office also supports
corporation and partnership between
organisations in China and worldwide.
Category 2 Centres, biospheres and
world heritage sites, along with other
designation types, play a key role in
implementing UNESCO’s objectives,
including the pursuit of SDGs, in a
specific area or locality. Examples
of Category 2 Centres in China
include a Teacher Education Centre
in Shanghai and International Centre
for the UNESCO Associated Schools
Network (ASPNET) in Sanya; both
directly support UNESCO’s mission
for education. China has the largest
number of world heritage sites in the
world; including 14 natural sites and 37
cultural sites, as well as 4 sites that are
of both natural and cultural importance.
For the sites themselves; association
with UNESCO and the prestige of being
recognised as a world heritage site
brings an arrange of benefits. These
include tangible advantages resulting
from increased visitor numbers.
Intangible benefits due to increased
access to a global network of other
sites, organisations and entities, that,
through their association to UNESCO,
signals a commitment to the pursuit
21 Section 2
of common set goals for sustainable
development. This facilitates an
exchange of knowledge, including on
areas such as best practice, effective
policy design and the implementation
of monitoring frameworks, that can help
accelerate the pace of achievement.
While UNESCO covers a broad, global
mandate that engages at multiple
levels with many types of an entity; the
importance of the role that cities play
on the global stage is recognized. The
pace of urbanization is accelerating and
has risen from 30% to 54% in the past
five decades, and is forecast to continue
rising. As more and more people live
in the world’s cities; the importance of
ensuring their sustainable development
has become highly relevant. UNESCO
makes specific provisions for supporting
cities where doing so aligns with its core
mission, commitment to sustainable
development and the city in question
is recognized as having particular
significance. Examples of specific
activities to support cities include the
“Humanize Bangkok” project, and the
“Cities of Asia” project. The later, in
recognition of the shift towards Asia
of the world’s largest cities; seeks
to provide support to provincial and
municipal authorities, organizations
and academics to help in planning and
development activities, to protect and
nurture the urban fabric of cities. Acting
at both a micro and macro level; the aim
is to ensure the growth of a city region
is managed in such a way that preserves
the identity of the city and avoids an
ever-expanding urban sprawl. Specific
ways in which this project provides
support includes, for example, needs
assessment, technical assistance for
educational and promotional activities
and help with strengthening legal and
administrative frameworks to promote
conservation and development. In many
such projects; cities and urban areas
are shortlisted for support from those
containing an existing UNESCO world
heritage site. This shows that successful
recognition of at least one UNESCO
Section 3
How can association with UNESCO help Qingyuan
pursue the Sustainable Development Goals?
world heritage site within a city can
open a door to additional resources
and support from UNESCO for the city
as a whole. The existence of a UNESCO
world heritage site can also quality a
city for support from additional UN
bodies such as UN Environment, as
well as other organizations such as the
Organization of World Heritage Cities
(OWHC). These organizations can
bring to bear substantial experience,
expertise and knowledge in the
development of urban areas; can
provide considerable advantages for
Qingyuan in its mission to achieve the
seventeen sustainable development
goals. Qingyuan possesses several
assets that could potentially achieve
recognition from UNESCO as a world
heritage site. It is a land of mountains,
remote villages, subtropical forests, rice
terraces, canyons and rivers; and home
to the Yao people, one of the most
ancient ethnic minorities in China. A
potential site is the Sanpai Yao Village.
Set in the remarkable karst landscape, it
is of great cultural and natural interest;
along with neighbouring Yao villages,
it provides a living account of a unique
and distinctive tradition and people.
Help for Qingyuan to engage more in
global networks
Being in a recognised position within
the affiliated entities of the UNESCO
global network could bring Qingyuan
more opportunities to actively connect
to the world, maximise the potential and
contribute to the world. The creative
city network could help Qingyuan and
the whole world by sharing knowledge
and build up its unique brand to achieve
sustainable development. By joining the
membership, Qingyuan could get more
support on cross-cultural exchange,
which could also benefit Qingyuan
when facing the challenge on the
collaboration projects.
However, for a city like Qingyuan to
benefit from association with UNESCO
can be complex and multi-layered, with
the active participation of municipal
and provincial Governments. This will
require collaboration between different
stakeholders to ensure that Qingyuan
can not only interact with a global
network of partners and associates
but align itself behind a common set
of goals. Association is a statement
of intent, and signals to the world an
ambition and aspiration to develop in a
way that aligns with recognizable values
and norms while protecting valuable
assets for future generations. This helps
build legitimacy, understanding and trust
with external parties, and paves the way
for more effective, collaborative action
to pursue and achieve a common set of
goals.
Section 2 22
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Section 2 24