The Ministry of Natural Resources of the People’s Republic of China and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe have been collaborating closely for a long time, aiming to promote the coordinated development and interconnectivity of global classifications for solid mineral and oil-and-gas resources. The United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) is an internationally recognized standard widely adopted and applicable to the sustainable management of both energy and all mineral resources. It can help countries or regions establish unified governance mechanisms to regulate the reserves of primary and secondary raw materials. Since 1997, Chinese experts have actively participated in the development of the UNFC and served as one of the key references for the 1999 edition of China’s Standard for Classification of Solid Mineral Reserves. In 2018, the Ministry of Natural Resources of the People’s Republic of China and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe jointly developed a document aligning China’s Standard for Classification of Solid Mineral and Oil-and-Gas Reserves with the UNFC. In 2021, the two sides once again collaborated to upgrade the alignment document for China’s mineral resource standards.

　　On October 25, Director Ju Jianhua from the Mineral Resources Protection Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the People’s Republic of China presented at the 13th Annual Meeting of the United Nations Expert Group on Resource Management the results of the development of the document aligning China’s Classification Standards for Reserves of Solid Mineral Resources (GB/T 17766-2020) and Oil and Gas Reserves (GB/T 19492-2020) with the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC 2019) — hereinafter referred to as the “China Alignment Document.” This document received widespread support from experts around the world. The Expert Group reviewed and approved the China Alignment Document, highly commending the efforts made by the Chinese delegation. The China Alignment Document, which establishes the alignment between China’s mineral resource classification standards and the UNFC, will be published on the official UNFC website. This alignment effort has achieved synergy and consistency between China’s national guidelines for mineral resource management and classification and the UN’s resource standards, which will help promote the sustainable development of energy resources and foster broader international cooperation.

A delegation from China’s Ministry of Natural Resources participated online in the 13th Annual Meeting of the United Nations Expert Group on Resource Management.

　　Ms. Olga Algayerov, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, highly praised China’s efforts to align its resource standards. She stated: “China’s alignment document represents a significant milestone in the global application of the UN Framework for Resource Classification. I would like to express my gratitude to China and to the outstanding team of experts from the Resource Management Expert Group for their hard work and dedication.”

　　“The China-ECE alignment document will help deepen cooperation and exchange between China and the Economic Commission for Europe in the field of sustainable energy, advance the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and expand international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative,” said Director Ju Jianhua of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the People’s Republic of China. “We look forward to strengthening our collaboration with the Economic Commission for Europe to promote mutual recognition and interconnectivity of mineral resource standards among countries and to foster the sustainable development of global natural resources.”

　　The development and publication of the document aligning China’s national classification standards for mineral resources with the United Nations Resource Classification Framework have deepened cooperation between China and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in the field of resources, promoted mutual understanding and exchange, and further refined the international standards system.