The Closing Ceremony and the Certificate Presentation Ceremony of the Workshop on Environmental Policy for Portuguese-speaking Countries were held respectively on September 29, 2015.
They took place at 12pm, in the Multifunctional Room of the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), also known as Forum Macao. The Workshop had been led by scholars from the City University of Macau.
The Deputy Secretary-General (appointed by Portuguese-speaking Countries) of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Mr Vicente de Jesus Manuel; the Director-General of the Trade Delegation of the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the People’s Republic of China in Macao SAR, Ms Chen Xing; the Deputy-Coordinator of the Policy Research Office of the Commissary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Li Yang; the Vice-Consul of Angola in Macao, Mr Belmiro Manuel Peio; the Honorary Consul of Guinea-Bissau in Macao, Mr John Lo; the representative of the Consulate-General of Mozambique in Macao, Mr Francisco Domingos Manhiça; the Deputy Secretary-General (appointed by the Macao SAR Government) of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Ms Echo Chan; the Co-ordinator of the Executive Office of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Ms Zhang Jie; and the Representatives of the Portuguese-speaking Countries in Forum Macao; took part in the Closing Ceremony.
Deputy Secretary-General Ms Echo Chan; the Rector of the City University of Macau, Mr Zhang Shuguang; and the Workshop’s Leader on a rotational basis, Mr Carlos Rui Ribeiro; delivered speeches during the Closing Ceremony.
The Workshop was organised by the Training Centre of Forum Macao. It was the fourth time this year this kind of workshops has been organised by the Training Centre. Participants in the event included representatives of 22 authorities, including officials and civil service professionals from Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and Macao.
The Workshop acted as a learning and exchange platform, with the Macao portion involving several talks and site visits. Talk topics included: “Green cities, educational cities”; “Waste economy, destruction of ecology”; “Natural heritage, built heritage: a necessary commitment”; “Energy efficiency and bioclimatic architecture in the residential sector”; “Macao’s Environmental Law”; and “The Role of Macao as a Platform”. Visits were paid to Macao’s Environmental Protection Bureau; Macao’s Office for the Development of the Energy Sector; Macao’s Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau; Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute; Macau Economic Service; Macau Residue System Company; The Macao Water Supply Company; and to CEM – Macau Electricity Company.
Workshop participants also joined a “Debate on the Environmental Protection Industry in Mainland China, Macao and the Portuguese-speaking Countries”. Participants in the Workshop additionally visited Nanchang, in China’s Jiangxi Province, to take part in that city’s ‘Macao Week’, as well as to participate in the ‘Dynamic Macao Business and Trade Fair’. In Nanchang, participants met local officials and exchanged ideas with them.
The entire Workshop was aimed at introducing to a new audience the environmental policies of Macao and Mainland China, and at allowing a sharing of experiences in this area. Another goal was to strengthen exchanges between Portuguese-speaking Countries and Mainland China and Macao, through talks and site visits. The event opened opportunities for co-operation. It was also a stage for the environmental protection sector – as well as for related disciplines – in order to develop co-operation in the fields of education and human resources, as well as strengthening Macao’s role as a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries.
