At the invitation of the Asia-Pacific Section of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the delegation of the Guangzhou Award attended the Fifth Regional 3R (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) Forum in Asia and the Pacific and the 2014 Green Technology Innovation Expo, which were held in Surabaya, Indonesia from February 24 to 28, 2014. During the events, the delegation introduced and promoted the Guangzhou Award to the attendees through on-site presentations and exhibitions. The forum also consisted of keynote speeches, roundtable meetings and high-level dialogues, nearly 1,000 attendees from the realm of environmental protection, including government officials, international organization representatives and corporate representatives are attracted to come.

Through the platform of the 3R Forum, the Guangzhou delegation delivered wonderful presentations to the attendees, which focused on the 1st Guangzhou Award, the highlights of the 2nd Guangzhou Award and the impressive Guangzhou’s achievements in economic and cultural development. The presentations of the Guangzhou delegation won high acclaims from the participating guests of the forum, including Ms. Chikako Takase, Director of United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD), Mr. Masato Misono from National Environment and Health Research Center of Japan, Mr. Balthasar Kambuaya, the State Minister of Environment, Indonesia, Ms. Bernardia Irawati Tjandradewi, Secretary-general of UCLG ASPAC and Ms. Tri Rismaharini, Mayor of Surabaya.  Phee Boon Poh, an executive councilor of Penang State of Malaysia, who has a Chinese origin, commended the Guangzhou Award to be “a truly creative idea and a platform of current necessity”.

The Guangzhou delegation also met with Ms. Bernardia Irawati Tjandradewi, Secretary-general of UCLG ASPAC and Mr. Eka Tjandranegara, President of Indonesian Chinese Entrepreneur Community for an in-depth exchange of views on the development and cooperation of the Guangzhou Award. Ms. Bernardia Irawati Tjandradewi stated that she would give full support for the preparation of the 2nd Guangzhou Award by encouraging cities and enterprises from the Asia-Pacific Region to participate in the award. Furthermore, Ms. Bernardia Irawati Tjandradewi also expressed her intension to expand the scope of liaison activities between the Guangzhou Award and its sponsors and international organization partners. Well-renowned as the “Indonesian king of real estate”, Mr. Eka Tjandranegara said that as the member of the Overseas Constituency of the CPPCC (Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference) Committee of Guangdong Province, he had paid close attention to the development of Guangdong over the years. Mr. Eka Tjandranegara also expressed in unequivocal terms that he would spare no effort to support and promote the Guangzhou Award by calling on more Chinese entrepreneurs in Indonesia to participate in the award.

In addition, the Guangzhou delegation also conducted intensive exchanges of views on cooperation opportunities and prospects with representatives from United Nations Centre for Regional Development (the organizer of the 3R Forum), National Environment and Health Research Center of Japan, Stockholm Convention Regional Center for Capacity-building and the Transfer of Technology in Asia and the Pacific and other international organizations. Japanese industry leaders, such as Mitsubishi, Hitachi and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal, and entrepreneurs from Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia at the 3R Forum also expressed their keen interests in the Guangzhou Award.