The China-WBG Global Center for Ecological Systems and Transitions Opens its Collaboration Space

On March 23, the China-WBG Global Center for Ecological Systems and Transitions (CWGC) opened its Collaboration Space in Beijing, with more than 40 leaders and experts from the Government of China, the World Bank Group (WBG), embassies, multilateral agencies, and academia in attendance.

Officially launched in December 2024, the Center showcases the commitment to knowledge exchange and collaboration between China and the World Bank Group, an engagement guided by the jobs agenda as a foundation for inclusive and resilient growth. The Center is connecting practical knowledge in ecosystem restoration with partners and communities around the world, while channeling global science and best practices into China - a two-way exchange platform built on mutual learning and a shared commitment to tackling ecological challenges. Through these efforts, the Center hopes to empower policymakers and practitioners around the world with the practical tools, proven models, and actionable knowledge needed to tackle key development issues in their own countries.

Since its launch, the Center has organized knowledge-sharing events engaging practitioners, policymakers, and experts from 30 countries, and has established digital channels and a knowledge agenda to sustain ongoing collaboration.

The World Bank Group and China's Ministry of Natural Resources also signed an MoU during the event, recognizing the Ministry as a key delivery partner of the Center and The Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Center as a Technical Implementation Unit to the Center. The MoU allows the Center to significantly expand its capacity to promote knowledge exchange between China and the world.

Looking ahead, the CWGC's work program will address pressing environmental challenges through its Ecological Civilization Dialogue series that kicks off on March 26. It will also organize international study tours and analytical studies on topics including ecosystem restoration finance and sustainable forest management.

The Center's work program also includes a session on scaling up finance for ecosystem restoration, drawing on global financing trends, country experience, and lessons from large-scale forest restoration efforts in Brazil and elsewhere. In May, a study tour in East Africa will explore how data and technology can drive integrated approaches to land restoration, bringing together expertise from multiple countries. That same month, a Global Knowledge Exchange Workshop in Sichuan will gather participants from around the world to share experience on protected and conserved areas - directly relevant to the global goal of protecting 30% of the planet's land and oceans by 2030.

The Center will also release analytical studies on ecosystem restoration finance, restoration in smallholder settings, and sustainable forest management.