Builders of Saihanba Forest Farm in Hebei Province won the highest environmental protection award of the United Nations.

　　The builder of Saihanba Forest Farm won the United Nations 2017 "Guardian of the Earth Award" and won the warmest applause at the scene. The picture shows foreign environmental experts congratulating and taking a group photo with Chen Yanxian, a representative of the builder of Saihanba Forest Farm and a retired worker. Our reporter Li Zhiwei photo

　　On December 5th, the builder of Saihanba Forest Farm in Hebei won the Earth Guardian Award, the highest environmental protection award of the United Nations. Among all six awards of the Earth Guardian Award, institutions and individuals from China won three awards. At the United Nations venue in Nairobi, when China’s achievements in environmental protection were mentioned again and again, there were warm applause and cheers. This is a high affirmation of China’s green development concept, China’s ecological civilization construction and Saihanba spirit by the United Nations and the world. Experts and scholars from all over the world have said: "China has demonstrated global leadership in the field of environmental protection."

　　It takes a long time to work. Like the builders of Saihanba Forest Farm, China is making unremitting efforts to make the great motherland more beautiful, and China has become an important participant, contributor and leader in the global ecological civilization construction. China has contributed wisdom and solutions to the global ecological civilization construction, and "Beautiful China" has won more warm applause from the world.

　　"Saihanba forest farm builders get ‘ Guardian of the Earth Award ’ It is an important symbol that China is leading the way of global environmental protection. "

　　"Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets". In the past 55 years, the builders of Saihanba Forest Farm in Hebei Province have worked hard and been willing to contribute in the desert sand of "yellow sand covers the sky and birds have no trees", which has created a miracle that the wasteland has turned into a forest, and cast the spirit of Saihanba with a mission in mind, hard work and green development. These builders interpreted Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets’s ideas with practical actions.

　　Eric solheim, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UNEP, told reporters that the story of the builder of Saihanba Forest Farm inspired everyone. After three generations of unremitting efforts to plant trees, a vast and lush forest has been built. "They brought the forest back in a quick and effective way." Solheim said excitedly, "This is an incredible achievement that inspires people in other parts of the world. I will go to Saihanba Forest Farm to meet the builders and listen to their stories. "

　　Solheim believes that the story of the builder of Saihanba Forest Farm proves that the degraded environment can be repaired. "This is a valuable investment, and the practice rooted in the grassroots often has a far-reaching impact on global environmental protection." He said that at present, afforestation is being carried out in many parts of the world, and the deeds of the builders of Saihanba Forest Farm will promote this process. "China won this year ‘ Guardian of the Earth Award ’ This proves that China’s environmental protection policy has made great achievements. These extraordinary achievements confirm the effectiveness of the concept of ecological civilization construction put forward by the Chairman of the Supreme Leader. " Solheim said that the world has begun to realize the ongoing environmental protection work in China and the concept of "beautiful China". In the field of environmental protection, a big country like China has provided much-needed leadership for the world.

　　Marcelo Furtado, a Brazilian environmental expert, told reporters that the story of the builder of Saihanba Forest Farm inspired us and showed the significance of afforestation to the earth and mankind. He said that the afforestation in China was very successful, which effectively reduced environmental problems such as sandstorms and improved people’s happiness index. "This has also provided the world with very important experience, and we sincerely admire the Chinese builders." Furtado said that China plays a key role in the global environmental protection field, and China’s environmental protection policy and sustainable development concept provide direction and leadership for the global environmental protection and sustainable development.

　　Furtado believes that the BRICS countries and developing countries, including Brazil, hope to work together with China to build ecological civilization, find ways of sustainable development and solve development problems such as poverty, education and unemployment. "I think China’s leadership in sustainable development is extremely critical."

　　Naisan Saba, a spokesman for the United Nations Environment Programme, told reporters that China takes environmental protection issues very seriously from all levels, including government, research institutions, enterprises and individuals, and attaches increasing importance to air pollution control and sustainable development. China is good at learning from the environmental protection experience of other countries, and at the same time, it has created many leading environmental protection innovations. For example, China has shown great determination in air pollution control. At the same time, China has made unparalleled achievements in desertification control and forest planting. "The government of China has made a commitment to environmental protection and made great progress. The world is looking forward to hearing China’s environmental protection story and learning from China’s environmental protection experience".

　　Thierry de Oliveira, an environmental expert in Senegal, told reporters that the forest area in Africa is decreasing, and many countries are very concerned about this issue. Saihanba Forest Farm can bring practical and valuable experience to African people. It is an important symbol that the builder of Saihanba Forest Farm won the "Guardian of the Earth Award". China is leading the global environmental protection direction, and many green technologies have emerged in China, providing solutions to organically combine environmental protection with economic development. "The world’s understanding of environmental protection in China has just begun. In the future, people need to listen to more China stories and experiences. China has put forward far-sighted policy guidelines in the field of environmental protection."

　　"The spirit and practice of Saihanba can be used for reference and copied internationally, and it is a great contribution to the construction of human ecological civilization."

　　Three generations of Saihanba forest farm builders insisted on afforestation with indomitable fighting spirit and never give up, and built a million mu of artificial forest. After generations of efforts, we finally got a beautiful environment with bluer sky, greener mountains and clearer water.

　　Chen Yanxian, a 73-year-old retired employee of Saihanba Forest Farm, is one of the first builders of the forest farm and one of the three representatives of the forest farm who came to Nairobi to receive the award. She said, "I come to receive the prize on behalf of three generations of Saihanba people, and the excitement can’t be described in words. In today’s China, Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets is a household name, which makes clear the relationship between man and nature in a popular and profound way, and the story of Saihanba confirms such a green truth. There are also many green mile like Saihanba, which is making the ancient China more vibrant. " She said, "This will inspire us to create a new green mile, and it will also inspire more Chinese people to take action and strive to be guardians of the earth and environmental heroes. Our common home will be more harmonious and beautiful in this kind of encouragement and action."

　　Zhang Shutong, chief engineer of the Forestry Department of Hebei Province, told reporters that Hebei, which is surrounded by Beijing and Tianjin, is an ecological support area for the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. It is a great responsibility and arduous task to do a good job in forestry ecological construction. We will take the opportunity of the "Guardian of the Earth Award" awarded by the United Nations Environment Programme to the builder of Saihanba Forest Farm, vigorously carry forward the spirit of Saihanba, roll up our sleeves and work hard, further clarify the goal of afforestation and greening of 4.2 million mu per year, and rely on the national key forestry projects and the precise forest quality improvement project to focus on the greening of Taihang Mountain and Yanshan Mountain, the greening of the original ecological transition zone between Beijing and Tianjin, the Olympic greening and the urban forest construction in xiong’an new area, so as to achieve a forest coverage rate of 35% in the whole province by 2020.

　　Bian Jianguo, deputy inspector of the Propaganda Department of Hebei Provincial Party Committee, said that the builder of Saihanba Forest Farm won the "Guardian of the Earth Award" of the United Nations, which showed the world the achievements and experience of China in promoting ecological civilization construction, provided China wisdom and China’s plan for global sustainable development, and was widely recognized by the international community, which indicated that the spirit and practice of Saihanba were also of referential and replicable significance internationally, and it was a great contribution to the construction of human ecological civilization, and also showed that the United Nations fully affirmed the theory and practice of promoting ecological civilization construction in China. Saihanba Forest Farm is not only a successful example of ecological civilization construction in China, but also a "China model" for global environmental governance.

　　"We will take this award as a higher starting point, further explore the era significance and practical value of the spirit of Saihanba, carry forward the spirit of Saihanba with a mission in mind, hard work and green development, and promote the experience of Saihanba; Further tell the story of Saihanba, Hebei and China to the world and improve China’s influence; Further publicize new development concepts and work results, advocate green production and lifestyle, accelerate the construction of ecological civilization, and strive to build beautiful Hebei and beautiful China. " Bian Jianguo said.

　　Saba believes that China’s grand aspiration in the construction of ecological civilization is a solemn commitment. "The construction of ecological civilization is reflected in government decision-making, law-making and environmental protection practice. The successful practice of China is an excellent example for the world." He said that when people deeply explore the idea behind the construction of ecological civilization, they can find that it is a systematic idea and make deep thinking on the transformation of human social and economic development mode, which will make us move towards a more sustainable future. This future will not only make mankind better, but also make the earth better.

　　(Nairobi, December 6 th, the newspaper went to Kenya to send a special correspondent Liu Yi Li Zhiwei)