Themed ‘Innovation and Green Development Solutions to Build Beautiful Cities’, the 2025 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (2025MIECF) was held from March 27 to 29, 2025, at the Cotai Expo, The Venetian Macao. It featured international forums, project promotion meetings, and green matching activities, focusing on areas such as urban transformation, green transportation, green buildings, waste management, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. 

 

The 2025MIECF opening ceremony on the morning of March 27, 2025, was presided over by Cheong Weng Chon, Acting Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region; Zheng Xincong, Deputy 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 and Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR; Sun Jinlong, Secretary of the Leading Party Members Group and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China; and Sun Xiangyang, Acting 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. High-level officials from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Guangdong Province, Guizhou Province and Yunnan Province also attended the opening ceremony.

 

Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, was invited to deliver a keynote speech in the opening ceremony, focusing on global trends in local climate action. In his speech, cities’ critical role in leading climate action was highlighted.  He called for local actions to achieve net-zero emissions, promote equitable and inclusive development, and enhance urban resilience with nature-based solutions.

Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI, delivered the keynote speech during the 2025 MIECF opening ceremony

 

During 2025 MIECF, ICLEI East Asia Secretariat hosted a roundtable on Green and Low-Carbon Urban Transformation and Industrial Cooperation on the afternoon of March 27, 2025. Over 60 representatives from local governments, international organizations, research institutes and businesses from Macao Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Beijing, Guizhou Province, Guangdong Province, Yunnan Province, Seoul, Tokyo, Bangkok , Tashkent, São Paulo, Belo Jardim, and Muntinlupaattended the ICLEI roundtable. Ms. Wong Yee Lam, the Administrative Committee member from the Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute, and Mr. Ng Si Lo from the Environmental Protection Bureau of the Macau Special Administrative Region attended the roundtable, representing the official supporting partners of the host city. 

Group Photo of Participants of Roundtable on Green and Low-Carbon Urban Transformation and Industrial Cooperation

 

Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI, welcomed all the participants and delivered an opening remark. He mentioned that close collaboration between the public and private sectors is critical. He also called for an urgent need to facilitate the integration of net-zero strategies, the circular economy and nature-based solutions into urban planning to build more resilient, equitable and sustainable communities. Besides, strong city-business partnerships are critical to scaling up local climate action.

Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI, welcomed all the participants and delivered an opening remark in the opening session of ICLEI roundtable

 

In the first session titled ‘Paths and Practices of Green and Low-Carbon Urban Transformation’, Eduardo Bruno da Silva Galvão, Secretary for the Environment of Belo Jardim in Brazil, shared the practices and opportunities for a sustainable urban transformation in the Pernambuco State. His presentation focused on innovative local sustainable development practices, such as the development of a greenhouse gas emissions inventory and the renewal of the city’s building and land taxes. These practices and initiatives have provided a scientific basis for Pernambuco’s sustainable development and incentivized businesses and residents to participate in green building development and sustainable land use planning. 

Eduardo Bruno da Silva Galvão, Secretary for the Environment of Belo Jardim (Brazil), delivered a keynote speech

 

Xiaofeng Xiao, Deputy Director of Beijing Pollution Source Management Center, delivered a keynote speech on Beijing’s VOCs emission reduction and governance for the automobile repair industry. Beijing has standardized the management of the industry and promoted green development through initiatives such as standardization, classification and control, technological empowerment and assistance. In the future, Beijing will continue to promote the standardization, enhance the “green quotient” of ecological environment and implement intensive management to upgrade the quality of industrial development. These efforts and experience from Beijing also provide a reference for other cities to manage VOCs.

Xiaofeng Xiao, Deputy Director of Beijing Pollution Source Management Center, delivered a keynote speech

 

Wenbing Mu, Counsel at Level 2 from the Department of Ecology and Environment of Yunnan Province, introduced Kunming’s low-carbon city development practices. The speech covered forest carbon sink development, pilot photovoltaic project promotion, low-carbon city planning, green building implementation, and more. Ryoko Karaki, Senior Program Manager from ICLEI Japan Office (Dispatched by Tokyo Metropolitan Government), shared the decarbonization efforts of Japanese cities to move towards net-zero emissions, highlighting Tokyo’s green building projects, solar energy facility installation regulations and city-to-city cooperation initiative to promote sustainable urban development. 

 

The panelists of the roundtable discussion of the first session included Pajariya Mahakanjana, Director of Public Parks Office from Environment Department of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration; Duanning Ma, Deputy General Manager from DAS Intelligent Company;  Islamov Navruz Kamilovich, Head of International Affairs Department of Nordic International University; Shengqiang Zhai, Chairman of Huanzhi Green Development; Haolin Li, President of Fiji International Chamber of Commerce China. They affirmed the importance of trans-regional city-business cooperation in sustainable urban development, believing that the collaboration between city and business can effectively integrate all parties’ resources and promote the exchange and sharing of technology and experience for the sustainable development of global cities.

 

In the second session, “Innovative Technologies for Sustainable Urban Development”, Yahong Dong, Vice-Chairman of the Council for Sustainable Development and Associate Professor of the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering of Macau University of Science and Technology, shared the successful cases of building carbon-negative regions in Lingshan Island and Yanpu Bay, China. These successes were realized through the scientific setting of carbon peak targets, implementing carbon reduction pilot projects and other initiatives. It is believed that these successful explorations in building carbon-negative regions can provide valuable experience in achieving regional net-zero emissions targets.

Yahong Dong, Vice-Chairman of the Council for Sustainable Development and Associate Professor of Department of Environmental Science and Engineering of Macau University of Science and Technology, delivered a keynote speech

 

Yingxian Wang, Supervisory Commissioner (equivalent to Deputy Director-General level official) of Department of Ecology and Environment of Guizhou Province, pointed out that, with the help of scientific and technological innovation, Guizhou Province has made a great progress in ecological civilization. The air and water quality are steadily improving in the construction of its ecological environment. In the field of “big data +” environmental management, Guizhou has successfully carried out several innovative practices, covering digital monitoring, cross-sectoral data sharing and many other aspects of ecological and environmental governance and monitoring.

Yingxian Wang, Supervisory Commissioner (equivalent to Deputy Director-General level official) of Department of Ecology and Environment of Guizhou Province, delivered a keynote speech

 

Engr. Carl Maynard D. Bequillo, Project Development Officer II of City Planning and Development Office, and Elijah O. Santos, Environmental Management Specialist II of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Office from Muntinlupa City, Philippines,  presented Muntinlupa’s efforts in solid waste management, air quality management, energy efficiency, and conservation efforts.

 

Merlin Lao, Head of Policy & Research of Hong Kong Business Environment Council, shared insights on how business innovation, policy frameworks, and technology-driven collaboration can power sustainable cities.

 

Panelists of the roundtable discussion of the second session included Inty Mendoza, Chief Representative Officer of São Paulo Investment Promotion Agency in Shanghai; Jing Chen, Deputy Director of Beijing Ecological and Environmental Protection Comprehensive Law Enforcement Team; Dong Wang, Secretary-general of the Development Center of Shenzhen International Low Carbon Forum; Mokseung Cha, Senior Research Fellow of Korea Environment Industry Technology Institute (KEITI); Yuqing Sun, Product Director of Shenzhen Heyispace Technology Company. The discussion is on technology standardization and localization of international experience, with further recognition that technological innovation is a key and irreplaceable engine for low-carbon and sustainable urban development.

 

During the roundtable, the ICLEI East Asia Secretariat introduced East Asia Carbon-Neutral Cities Accelerator and officially launched Green City-Business Alliance. East Asia Carbon-Neutral Cities Accelerator project will systematically identify, collect and disseminate innovative cases and best practices in low-carbon development in East Asian cities. By compiling case studies and organizing annual knowledge exchange events, the project will provide valuable references for other cities and help drive the green transition process in the region and globally. Green City-Business Alliance is committed to promoting cooperation between cities and businesses, with a focus on the areas of renewable energy, pollution control, green infrastructure, and circular economy. The alliance will also actively promote green transformation and sustainable development in East Asia and beyond by promoting international exchanges, carrying out research and matching activities, and implementing capacity-building trainings.

 

On March 28, 2025, the roundtable delegates participated in a site visit to the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. The site visit aimed to explore innovative low-carbon solutions and Guangdong-Macao collaborative efforts in sustainable development. The delegation visited the Hengqin Zero Carbon Island Shared Laboratory and learned about cutting-edge research and energy-efficient technologies to achieve carbon neutrality. During the discussion,  delegates learned more about clean energy usage situations and explorations in different regions. They also exchanged insights on strengthening regional cooperation to accelerate the low-carbon transition. Finally, the delegation visited the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone Exhibition Hall to see how inter-city collaboration and innovative technologies shape a sustainable future.

Group photo of the International Delegation to the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin

 

The ICLEI roundtable and the site visit have built a valuable platform for mutual learning about green and low-carbon transformation experience from cities and businesses. In the future, ICLEI will continue to deepen cross-regional and cross-field cooperation, working together with members and partners towards a sustainable future.