NYU Shanghai and WWF China Launch First-Ever Yangtze River Economic Belt Forum

On May 16, 2015, the first-ever water stewardship forum within Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) was launched at NYU Shanghai’s Pudong campus. Jointly sponsored by World Wide Fund for Nature China (WWF China) and NYU Shanghai, the forum featured diaologue surrounding the theme of “Yangtze, We Care and We Act."

The forum was the first in a series of dialogues calling for collective action from business, government, and civil society for timely analysis and discussion of good business practices that could play a role in the YREB. Joined by leading scholars and company representatives, this initial forum included attendees such as renowned professors from NYU New York, NYU Shanghai, Shanghai Academy of Social Science Regional Economic Research Institute, Shanghai Fudan University, Shanghai Tongji University, and Shanghai University of International Business and Economics. Company representative Tetra Pak and NGO representative WWF also attended the event.

After an opening speech from Professor Yuxin Chen, Vice Dean of Business at NYU Shanghai, Professor Hongsheng Yu (Director of Shanghai Academy of Social Science Regional Economic Research Institute) delivered a keynote speech on the economic development within YREB. Based on NYU Shanghai's research presentation, which covered risks and opportunities of YREB’s development, attendees then engaged in a panel discussion. Scholars and business representatives shared their experiences with the value chain relevant to the sustainable development of the Yangtze and shared best practices and insights useful for future research and collective action. NYU Shanghai Chancellor Lizhong Yu closed the event by expressing his expectations for future dialogue series and developing platforms for future collaboration opportunities.

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Article by Shuang Hu