The Tenth Kubuqi International Desert Forum has kicked off on Sept 16 in Ordos city, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, under the theme "Combat Desertification Scientifically, and Promote Green Development".

The two-day event brings together 260 participants, including representatives of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Secretariat, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, as well as government officials, experts, and scholars from Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

Jointly hosted by the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Government and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, with UNEP and the UNCCD Secretariat as co-organizers, the forum features an opening and closing ceremony, keynote and thematic forums, academic dialogues, and field visits.

More than 40 experts and scholars will join discussions on desertification control, grassland conservation and sustainable management, and land-friendly business development, alongside an academic forum on technological innovation on sand control.

Participants will also visit Kubuqi Desert sites to observe innovative practices such as photovoltaic sand control, road-based desertification prevention, edge-stabilizing forests, and seasonal river management, showcasing China's new approaches and achievements in desert treatment.

Since its launch in 2007, the Kubuqi International Desert Forum has been the world's only large-scale international event dedicated to combating desertification. Over the past 18 years, it has become an important platform for sharing China's desertification control successes, promoting ecological civilization, enhancing international cooperation, and advancing high-quality Belt and Road development.