Participants of the 2024 International Seminar on Climate Disaster Risk and Marine Environmental Protection receive certificates of completion on Sept 13 in Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo by Wang Yifan/For chinadaily.com.cn]

A group of 27 scholars and officials from 11 countries completed a two-week training program on climate disaster risk response and marine environmental protection in Qingdao, Shandong province, on Sept 13.

Participants from Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Samoa, the Maldives, and Cuba attended 13 academic sessions, visits to research institutions, and cultural experiences during the training program.

"China has been actively engaging in South-South cooperation to address climate change," said Chen Zhihua, deputy director of the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation.

"This training program provided a platform for communication and exchange, as well as an opportunity for mutual learning," Chen added.

The OUC has made it its mission to advance the building of a maritime community with a shared future. The university has recently emphasized openness, fostering practical cooperation with over 300 institutions from over 50 countries and regions, said Lin Xusheng, Vice President of the OUC.

"The university has become one of the important exchange and cooperation centers in international marine science and education," said Lin.

Anes Bernadette Debao, a biodiversity and sustainable land management officer in Nauru's Ministry of Environmental Management and Agriculture, mentioned the in-depth knowledge she acquired while participating in the training program.

"I get to expand my knowledge and understanding of climate change risks and marine environment protection, especially in the Pacific island nations and China's leadership in addressing climate change," said Debao.

The event was organized by China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment and co-hosted by the Center for Ocean Carbon Neutrality at Ocean University of China and the Qingdao municipal government's foreign affairs office.