The 2016 Eco Forum Global Annual Conference - considered the nation's most important conference on green development and ecological civilization - will be held in Guiyang, Guizhou province, from Friday to Sunday.

"The conference is an answer to the two milestones on world development in 2015: the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change," Zhang Xinsheng, secretary-general of the forum, said at a news conference of the State Council Information Office on Thursday.

Leaders from home and abroad will join the discussion at the conference, including Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; Peter O'Neill, prime minister of Papua New Guinea; Christa Markwalder, president of the Swiss National Council; and William Ruto, vice-president of Kenya.

Experts from government agencies, as well as entrepreneurs and scholars from international think tanks, will attend the forum - about 1,200 people altogether, with one-third of them coming from outside China.

A variety of events will be held during the weekend, including two summits, 37 seminars and other related activities, covering a wide array of topics, including green development, climate change, food security and the protection of marine ecology.

The theme for this year's conference is "Embracing a New Era of Eco-Civilization: Advancing Green Development, Unifying Knowledge and Action".

xingyi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/08/2016 page4)