On August 28 and 29, 2012, the “2012 Shanghai Chongming Eco-island International Forum” was held in Shanghai. This forum was co-hosted by Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality and Government of Chongming County, supported by Ministry of Science and Technology of People's Republic of China, United Nations Environment Program, World Wide Fund for Nature and co-organized by Tongji University and other organizations with the theme of “Chongming World Eco-Island – Green economy and Sustainable Development”. Experts and guests from companies were invited to discuss current conditions of Chongming green economy, challenges and future development.

Since 2005, Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality has launched the Chongming innovation programs which aimed to provide projects, bases and talented people for the eco-island construction with concern on the integration of natural ecology, industrial ecology and inhabitant ecology under the chonming planning. In the past 5 years, Chongming undertook the recovery and rebuilding of  venerable eco-system, security of drinking water, high efficient water treatment with low cost, recycling of garbage and introduction of new energy and so forth. In 2010, Chongming was approved as the state experimental area of sustainable development. In 2011, Mr. Wan Gang, the minister of Ministry of Science and Technology and Mr. Steiner, the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations signed a cooperative memorandum on Chongming construction. In the same year, Shanghai Municipality and UNEP signed cooperative memorandum of Chongming eco-island construction and assessment. In the previous three forums, experts from both home and abroad offered plenty outstanding suggestions to further Chongming eco-island planning and construction so as to support for its future development.

Mr. Wang Zhijia, UNEP Special Coordinator and Mr. David Osborn, UNEP Coordinator for the Ecosystem Management Programme attended the forum on behalf of UNEP