The Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition 2018 (2018MIECF), hosted by the Macao SAR Government, was successfully concluded today (14 April). The three-day event fully demonstrated the benefit of an international environmental protection platform, and promoted exchange and cooperation between “green enterprises” from countries and places along the Belt and Road, the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Portuguese-speaking countries and European countries. The MIECF “green platform” – via its remarkably good reputation – attracted representatives from governmental, industrial and academic fields from around the world to play an active part in the event. The event recorded a 28 percent year-on-year increase in the number of “Green Matching” sessions hosted.

This was the 11^th edition of MIECF. The theme for 2018 was “Shaping of Eco-Cities for Inclusive Green Economy”. A wide range of activities were organised for participants, including “Green Matching” sessions; seminars and presentations; the “Greater Bay Area Environmental Co-operation Networking Session”; and the “Green Building Industry Networking Session”. A total of 35 agreements were signed for either cooperation or commercial business, during the three days of business exchange and negotiations that were occasioned by the MIECF event. A total of 349 business-matching sessions were held in the “Green Matching” zone, a year-on-year increase of 28 percent.

The “Green Forum” – one of the MIECF event’s key activities – held six panel sessions and one special session this year, bringing together more than 50 environmental pioneers, executives of multinational companies and policymakers, etc., from, respectively, Mainland China, Australia, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, the United States, Hong Kong and Macao, and other regions and countries. These guest speakers provided insights on topics such as sustainable tourism, “green exhibitions”, eco-cities, “green finance”, and the “green chemicals” sector, thus promoting the exchange of information on the potential for environmental cooperation among regions, and facilitating wide-ranging active cooperation.

This year, MIECF invited a world authority on global climate change, the current Vice Chair of “The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy” and former Executive Secretary of the “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change” (2010-2016), Ms. Christiana Figueres, to be the event’s keynote speaker. She also took part in the special session of the “Green Forum”, sharing her professional insights on the topic “Industry Shaping Tomorrow’s Eco-cities”.

The “Green Forum” additionally invited a number of highly-respected authorities in the environmental sector as session keynote speakers, including internationally-renowned “green finance” experts. Among them were: Dr. Ma Jun, Chairman of Green Finance Committee of China Society for Finance and Banking; Mr. Li Jun, Deputy Division Chief of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment; and Dr. Ouyang Zhiyun, Director of the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; all of them adding to the strength of the content presented at the 2018MIECF “Green Forum”. The “Green Forum” also included the “Pan-Pearl River Delta Region Session”, providing a platform for communication between enterprises from Europe and those from the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region.

The organisers of 2018MIECF applied to have the “Green Forum” panel sessions accredited by professional bodies, in order to issue relevant certificates to participants in each session, so to optimise MIECF’s role as a platform for sharing professional knowledge. The “Green Forum” attracted more than 3,900 participants.

Regarding the “Green Showcase”, more than 490 exhibitors from 19 countries and regions participated in the exhibition, which focused on environmentally-friendly solutions for addressing issues connected with air, water and soil pollution, and eco-city construction. In order to facilitate the promotion of environmental protection and the sustainable development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, this year’s “Green Showcase” included a new display area for environment-friendly concepts originating from the Greater Bay Area, with a view to boosting the environmental co-operation within the Greater Bay Area.

“The Green Showcase”, as in previous editions of MIECF, featured several themed areas, including: the “Showcase Area for Innovative Environmental Protection Technologies”, the “Green Construction Pavilion” which showcased environment-friendly construction products and services, and the “Showcase Area for Green Transportation”, featuring a number of options for sustainable transportation.

During the “Green Showcase” exhibition, in order to strengthen government departments’ understanding of environmental protection products and technologies, and to promote the development of the environmental protection sector, the MIECF host and co-organisers arranged – as in previous editions of MIECF – guided tours for government departments. More than 30 government departments sent representatives to participate in the tours at this year’s edition. This year, there was also a “Government Procurement Matching Session”. The newly-added activity welcomed the participation of 16 governmental departments, with more than 80 negotiations taking place, with the aim of matching suppliers to various public-sector departments interested in “green” procurement. This activity further extended and enhanced the effectiveness of the MIECF guided tours.

In addition, the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the Monetary Authority of Macao arranged for 2018MIECF professional participants, including from Europe, to visit the Guangdong-Macao (Jiangmen) Cooperation Demonstration Zone in Jiangmen, Guangdong today (14 April). A total of 50 people, including local representatives of the environmental protection sector and the financial sector, took part. The delegation learned about wastewater treatment facilities and advanced electroplating technologies, and held discussions with local government departments regarding bilateral environmental cooperation in line with the national policies of “going global” and “bringing in”. The talks covered environmental protection technology, information sharing, and expansion of collaboration on “green” cooperation. IPIM also arranged for MIECF professional visitors to tour the central and south areas of Macao Peninsula and the Islands, so they could experience the local culture, and to promote community economy.

The last day of 2018MIECF was the “Green Public Day”. Many people visited the event, participated in eco-friendly family activities and enjoyed various performances, contributing to a lively atmosphere. Potted plants were distributed as gifts at the “Macao Pavilion” on the exhibition floor. This year also saw the return of the “Eco-Market Macao” where visitors were able to purchase different types of environmentally-friendly products and experience a “green lifestyle”.

The quality of MIECF activities – and the degree of professionalism shown in the way they are presented – has been continuously improved, enabling it to become an important international event for the environmental protection sector. Apart from attaining in 2011 UFI accreditation as an exhibition, MIECF also won Macao’s “Outstanding Convention & Exhibition Award 2017”. The MIECF host and co-organisers are dedicated to improving the content of the event’s exhibitions and various supporting services, as well as of the business matching consultation services and business cooperation initiatives. In the past 10 years, more than 280 letters of intent and project agreements have been signed via the MIECF platform, fully demonstrating the role of MIECF as an international professional platform for “green” business and cooperation.

The next edition of MIECF will be held from March 28 to 30, 2019.

The MIECF platform aims to offer attendees new business opportunities in the “green” sector

The last day of 2018MIECF was the “Green Public Day”, with a lively atmosphere