Shahbaz Khan, director of UNESCO’s multi-sector regional office in Asia, explained in statements to Prensa Latina that China managed to largely recover the Yangtze River ecosystem. “China developed very quickly and that industrial development caused pollution problems, but under President Xi Jinping’s strategy, ecological civilization has become a very important initiative”, he said.

In particular, he highlighted that in the last 10 years the Yangtze has experienced a remarkable recovery and “one can see all kinds of fish, which means a great step forward for the environment (…)”.

The expert participates in the Yangtze Culture International Forum, which brings together, in Nanjing, academics from some 30 countries, to discuss rivers as a source of civilization and their current challenges. Khan pointed out that”Culture is a key element for sustainability, and these cities along large river basins become more innovative and sustainable, but we must know how to deal with challenges such as climate change.”

The UNESCO’s functionary stressed that rivers are places of traditions, rituals and beliefs around the world and influence our perception of the value of water. “We need to explain the social and cultural importance of water and most importantly, we need to address it in the economic sense, in terms of the future of development and job creation,” he added.

The Forum, whose theme is “Flowing Rivers, Convergent Future”, focuses on promoting the common values of humanity and discussing the challenges facing the culture, ecology and economy of rivers.

The event is part of the national strategy to raise awareness among Chinese and world society about the importance of rivers as connectors between people and economic development, as well as the need to protect them from human action.

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