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CEWE Deputy Director Wei Yuansong Speaks at the 51st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council

The 51st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council is taking place from September 12 to October 7 in Geneva, discussing all human rights issues and conditions that require attention throughout the year. Recommended by Beijing Association for Science and Technology (BAST) and Beijing NGO Network for International Exchanges (Beijing NGO), Prof. Wei Yuansong, Deputy Director of CAS-TWAS Centre of Excellence for Water and Environment (CEWE), spoke via video at the session and shared the results that China-Sri Lanka Joint Research and Demonstration Center for Water Technology (JRDC) had achieved in tackling the chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) and providing safe drinking water.

In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Resolution 64/292, explicitly recognizing “the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights”. Since 2014, the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (RCEES), Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS), has launched all-round cooperation with Sri Lanka in the field of water and sanitation under the guidance of the Bureau of International Cooperation,,CAS, with fruitful results achieved. China-Sri Lanka cooperation on water technology is:

Vision-based. It focuses on clean drinking water and sanitation, which is in line with the UN SDG 6;

Down-to-earth. It has effectively helped local people address major issues concerning their livelihoods, for example, tackling CKDu and providing safe drinking water;

Novel in model. It delivers Chinese experience and technologies to the recipient country through the unique cooperation chain of talent training – scientific and educational aid – implementation by enterprises;

Fruitful. Focusing on CKDu and drinking water safety, the two sides have carried out all-round cooperation in capacity building, talent training, collaborative research, and project demonstration, and achieved fruitful results.

Influential. The signing of the agreement on the establishment of the JRDC was witnessed by the heads of China and Sri Lanka and was included in the joint statement between the governments of the two countries, and received a great deal of attention from both governments from the outset.

 

For the video and related coverage, please visit: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/MPAz7k2m8Zyy2Jd-pE4ESA