On 25 September, 2023 World Coastal Forum was held in Yancheng, Jiangsu 
Province. The conference was co-hosted by Jiangsu Provincial People's 
Government, Ministry of Natural Resources, National Forestry and Grassland 
Administration, with the theme "Our coasts: Harmony between People and Nature", 
according to the World Coastal Forum Organizing Committee. 

Former political leaders, ambassadors, and ministerial-level officials from 
countries such as Ireland, Congo, Cape Verde, Singapore, and South Korea, as 
well as United Nations agencies such as the United Nations Environment 
Programme, the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and the 
Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild 
Animals, and international organizations such as the International Union for 
Conservation of Nature, the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership, the 
ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, and the World Economic Forum, highly appreciate 
China's leadership and significant achievements in protecting coastal 
ecosystems, improving the ecological environment, and addressing climate 
change. The World Coastal Forum provides a platform for the participation of 
multiple stakeholders and will play an important role in promoting coastal 
ecosystem conservation and sustainable development.

The coastal area, connected to the land and sea, is the main place of human 
settlement, with irreplaceable spatial resources, rich biodiversity and natural 
endowments, and is also the most dynamic area for economic and social 
development in all countries. Yancheng, which is pursuing "green" and "blue" on 
the road to high-quality development, has demonstrated the reality of 
coexistence between human beings and animals, and the coexistence and 
co-prosperity of coastal wetlands and developed urban economy. It is expected 
to provide experience in nature conservation for densely populated and 
economically developed cities, and provide a model for the protection and 
sustainable development of the world's natural heritage.

The opening ceremony resulted in the signing of "Cooperation Framework 
Agreement on Supporting the World Coastal Forum among Jiangsu Provincial 
People's Government, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the National 
Forestry and Grass- land Administration". The World Conservation Union, 
BirdLife International, and 14 other organizations have become partners of the 
World Coastal Forum.

Source: World Coastal Forum Organizing Committee