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the global mayors' forum (gmf), an international nongovernmental organization (ngo) under the united nations and founded by chinese initiators, announced the location of its site selection committee shenzhen on aug. 8. gmf's secretary general, jin lan, talked to the shenzhen daily and emphasized the city's vital role in leading the world’s sustainable development.
the ngo, founded in 2008 in a building in the baishizhou area in nanshan district, has gained a reputation around the globe for its active engagement in enhancing communication among global mayors, and encouraging them to share ideas and successful cases of sustainable development.
"shenzhen is the gmf's birthplace because the idea was first started here and now we are returning to shenzhen and might base in the city for our long-term goal which is to serve as a bridge between chinese cities and cities of other countries to communicate about economy, culture and the society whilst developing the best solutions to global environmental issues," said jin on tuesday at a local hotel in the oct of nanshan district.
according to the secretary general's words, shenzhen — or areas around the city like huizhou and dongguan — will be an ideal place for gmf's headquarters, because of these cities' active role in exploring green development.
jin specifically praised the oct neighborhood for its environmentally friendly planning and the effective use of spaces with large areas of greenery.
"shenzhen is a great metropolis that has been developed so fast and we are glad to see the city's administrators have realized the side effects brought by the industrialization procedure earlier than most of the other cities in china," said the secretary general.
jin believes that shenzhen will be a vital city in connecting china and the rest of the world not only in the fields of finance and technology, but also in the domain of creative culture and green development.
"the city should regard itself as a window that utters china's voice in terms of sustainable development because the world needs to hear from us," said jin, who added that the original ideology of sustainable development actually stems from the philosophy of “harmony with nature” raised by chinese ancient philosopher lao tzu some 2,000 years ago.
"every time i raise lao tzu's philosophy up at an international forum or conference with the theme of sustainable development in a foreign country, the participants of the gatherings are amazed by how early the idea had formed in china, so we must speak up at these international conferences to have our voice heard," said jin.
in the secretary general's eyes, shenzhen is a developed city in terms of its advanced infrastructure but still needs to enhance its "soft power" such as attracting more global minds, especially international ngos that can contribute to the world as a whole.
jin used hong kong, singapore, geneva and nairobi as examples to illustrate the significance of introducing more ngo headquarters to china, especially shenzhen. “shenzhen needs more talents with global mindsets and wide horizons to make it an international hub for creative cultures and ideas," said jin.
they hope the headquarters of gmf will be set up near the new convention and exhibition center that is going to be built in bao'an district near shenzhen international airport.
"we are particularly hoping to headquarter in a deserted industrial area, near a harbor or an airport, that does not quite fit the principles of sustainable development so that we can actually improve the area by renovating the existing buildings and constructions. therefore, locating our headquarters at the bao'an district site would be an ideal place to choose, but dongguan and huizhou are also good due to their proximity to shenzhen," said jin.
apart from being the conference venue for the annual global mayors' forum, the headquarters will also be developed into an information center and global community of cultures where all the international ngos based in the area can meet and exchange ideas concerning how the integration of chinese and western cultures can improve the world, jin said.