UNESCO’s Chinese Members and Partners’ Roles in Cooperation on Fighting for COVID-19: an Online Meeting Held by NCCU

On 30^th April 2020, the NationalCommission of China for UNESCO (NCCU) hosted the online meeting about jointfighting for COVID-19 with UNESCO. IRCK, together with other members orpartners of UNESCO in China attended the meeting, totally over 100 participantsinvolved. The meeting is aiming to cooperate on fighting for COVID-19, throughcommunicating experiences, strengthening risk awareness, and keepingcooperation and risk control.

Firstly, Mr. Qin Changwei, the secretary general of NCCU made astatement that, at the moment of conclusive success on disinfecting COVID-19 inChina, NCCU would cherish the vision of a community of shared future formankind to fight for COVID-19 jointly, concentrate Chinese power, seize thespecial moment, act proactively and share Chinese methods for resistingCOVID-19 with the world. Mr. Du Yue, the director of External Liaison andAfrica Priority Department of UNESCO, declared that the COVID-19 stimulatedUNESCO to think about the situation of the world and the where should UNESCO goesto after the epidemic. Meanwhile, he gave two suggestions to China on thecooperation with UNESCO: the first one was to join the great discussion on theworld’s situation and contribute Chinese wisdom and solution; the second onewas to improve the quality and effectiveness of the cooperation with UNESCO andbecame the benchmark and guide.

Then, IRCK, IKCEST and other category II centers, creative cities,chairs, 36 Chinese partners of UNESCO gave a talk and share the experience. Dr.Cao Jianhua, the executive deputy director of IRCK introduced IRCK’s planduring COVID-19: first, to fully support the disinfection of COVID-19 and followthe rules made by Chinese Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism; second, to providemore than ten PPT files to UNESCO for karst knowledge online training, whichwere made by world famous karst scientists, like academic presentations, and traininglectures; third, to promote the progress of ISO/TC 319 Karst, and theconstruction of the affiliated organization to International Union ofGeological Sciences (IUGS). Affected by COVID-19, IRCK would try to find a newmode to organize international training course and the meetings for Academic Committeeand Governing Board in 2020. After his talk, NCCU praised IRCK’s recent planand the active participation of IRCK group to this meeting.

Finally, Deputy Secretary General Zhou Jiagui gave a conclusion ofthis meeting and put forward the suggestions to future work: first, strengtheningthe experience sharing among partners; second, strengthening the informationcommunication, and preparing important meetings together to maintain safeness,order, effectiveness, and success; third, keeping progress through stable steps,cherishing bottom-line thinking, then compose the resultant force to push thebuilding of a community of shared future for mankind.

Dr. Jiang Zhongcheng, GB-II Member of IRCK, alsoChair of ISO/TC 319 Karst and other staff related to international cooperationattended the meeting.