The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is part of China’s gift of a public platform for a peaceful, prosperous, and beautiful world. President Xi Jinping has launched four global initiatives, i.e., Belt and Road Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Development Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative, to realize the vision of humankind as a community with shared future.

The Belt and Road Initiative was the first program launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013 on this front. BRI was designed to cater to the needs of people, like decent employment, poverty eradication, quality infrastructure, people-to-people exchanges etc.

China is cognizant that achieving these objectives should match environmental needs and counter emerging challenge of climate change. Hence, during the second BRI forum in 2019, China tasked major ministries and institutes to lead in promoting green and environment-friendly development under the BRI. The National Development and Reforms Commission, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Commerce, and other institutions joined hands to realize the dream of green and environment-friendly development.

These ministries and institutes launched numerous initiatives, including Green Silk Road Envoys Program to train 1,500 environmental officials, the BRI Environmental Big Data Platform, the Belt and Road South-South Cooperation Initiative on Climate Change, the Belt and Road Green Lighting Initiative, Belt and Road Green Cooling Initiative, Belt and Road Bankers Roundtable Mechanism, and BRI International Green Development Coalition (BRIGC).

The National Development and Reform Commission has been working to design and carry out the projects according to the principles of sustainable development and ecological civilization. NDRC, in collaboration with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and others, introduced new guidelines in March 2022 to foster the implementation of the vision of green BRI. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Commerce are also playing their roles in executing the agenda of green BRI.

The BRI International Green Development Coalition is one of the most important initiatives to realize the dream of green and environment-friendly development. Many BRI member countries' environmental and climate change ministries have joined BRIGC. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment is also leading the implementation of the agenda of BRIGC.

The BRIGC came into existence with three specific objectives: promote policy dialogue and communication, act as an environment knowledge platform, and foster a technology transfer platform. It was envisioned that BRIGC would assist in changing the mindset of policymakers, and help to integrate sustainable development principles into the design and implementation of BRI projects. It is a huge task.

Thus, BRIGC, under the auspices of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, has forged close partnerships with NDRC, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce, and other institutions to achieve the prescribed objectives. It also assists them in creating knowledge, and policy guidelines and steering the policy dialogue with stakeholders.  BRIGC has ten thematic areas, namely,

- Biodiversity and ecosystem management, Green energy and energy efficiency,

- Green finance and investments,

- Improvement of environmental quality and green cities,

- South-south environmental cooperation and SDG capacity building,

- Green technology, innovation and corporate social responsibility,

- Sustainable transportation,

- Climate change governance and green transformation,

- Environmental legislation and standards, and

- Maritime community with a shared future and marine environment governance.

The list shows that all the important areas for building a green and sustainable future have been covered.  

Since its launch, GRIGC has been striving hard to change the mindset and promote green growth and development policies. It has launched numerous initiatives on multiple fronts. BRIGC started the work by engaging institutions to build a global movement for green growth and development. It has engaged multiple stakeholders for policy dialogue and research projects. BRIGC promotes open and transparent dialogue among governments, intergovernmental organizations, and non-government organizations.

The dialogue and communication process has accelerated during the last two years. The continuous engagement is bearing fruits now, and BRI countries are focusing more on designing and executing projects by adhering to principles of sustainable development.

BRIGC is equally focused on the creation of quality knowledge. It has launched numerous projects and commissioned studies to understand the needs of the member countries and provide policy guidance to members of the alliance, for green transition. A few examples are the BRI Green Development Case Study Report 2020, BRI and Carbon Pricing Mechanism, Biodiversity Areas and Impact Assessment in BRI-covered Areas, etc.

Moreover, BRIGC is also busy in issuing different reports and policy documents to guide the implementation of green BRI. For example, BRIGC in 2020 developed and issued Green Development Guidance for BRI Projects Baseline Study. In 2021, BRIGC again developed and issued an Application Guide for Enterprises and Financial Institutions and Guide for Railways and Highways Infrastructure Sectors for the GDG.

These are only a few examples of the success story of BRIGC. The good thing is that BRIGC is not content with past success stories. Now, it is working to enhance its impact further.

However, there are certain areas where BRIGC can further refine its work. First, it is suggested that BRIGC should launch a special initiative for youth engagement. It is extremely important as the future belongs to the youth.

Youth engagement will ensure the sustainability of BRIGC activities and carry forward the message of green BRI. It will also help to disseminate the message at a greater scale. Youth engagement will also help to promote a culture of innovation and technology adaptation.

Second, there should be some dedicated initiatives for young girls. It is proposed that BRIGC should launch a “Girls Alliance for Green BRI”. The proposed alliance should be mandated to promote females' role in policymaking and implementation.

Third, it is suggested that BRIGC should include agriculture and livestock theme in its list of thematic areas. It would be easier for BRIGC to include because agriculture is emerging as one of the major areas of cooperation under BRI. For example, during the second phase of CPEC, agriculture is one of the major areas of cooperation.                    

The inclusion of agriculture is needed because agriculture plays multiple roles in achieving sustainable development goals. Agriculture helps developing and least-developed countries secure food security and provide low-cost raw materials. It is also a major source of employment and income for many developing countries.

It is hoped that BRIGC, under the auspices of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, will continue to innovate the path for the smooth implementation of the green BRI agenda. Moreover, BRIGC will continue to assist NDRC, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Commerce by providing them with high-quality knowledge and leading the policy dialogue and discussion on the green BRI agenda.   

The author is CEO of the Asian Institute of Eco-civilization Research and Development in Pakistan.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.