The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Innovation Pilot Project (Shenzhen Longhua) was officially launched at the Longhua International Cooperation Center in Longhua District today.

Jointly initiated by UNDP China, the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges, the Longhua District Government, and the Shenzhen Foundation for International Exchange and Cooperation, the project is aligned with Shenzhen’s agenda as a National Innovation Demonstration Zone for Sustainable Development.

By leveraging UNDP’s innovation network in Longhua District, the project aims to explore innovative policies, pathways, and local solutions for the sustainable development of megacities. Furthermore, international seminars and exchange activities focused on best practices and experiences in sustainable development will be organized to help the district go global. The project will run from 2024 to 2029.

The UNDP SDG Innovation Lab (Shenzhen Longhua), or HUA HUB, will be established as part of the project.

“The Longhua lab will act as a testing ground for cutting-edge solutions to advance sustainable development in a megacity context. The aim is to support Shenzhen’s role as one of 11 State Council-designated SDG Demonstration Zones — with the Longhua lab being the first of its kind. It will explore new ways of advancing the digital economy, managing natural resources for effective environmental protection, along with modernizing urban governance,” noted Beate Trankmann, UNDP resident representative for China, during her speech at the launch ceremony.

Trankmann added, “This will include experimenting with new technological solutions to meet the SDGs in cities, generating effective, replicable and scalable sustainable development models and developing bankable investment pipelines.”

Kanni Wignaraja, who is U.N. assistant secretary-general, UNDP assistant administrator, and director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, addressed the event through a video message.
“The SDG Innovation Lab has been designed to help Shenzhen build itself into a national sustainable development demonstration zone. I’m confident it will pave the way for groundbreaking advances in sustainable urban development and produce policy lessons and innovations that are relevant not just for Shenzhen and other cities across China, but for cities around the world,” Wignaraja said.