[continued]
Since the Conference, the Yunnan leadership has set up a working group of scholars to design an action plan for the implementation of its new policy and for the adoption of recommendations made at the Conference. The Yunnan policy as originally stated has also been refined and expanded to consist of three parallel policies: one to create “a great province” of cultural diversity, another to create a flourishing green economy, and a third to establish "a great corridor" to Southeast Asia. The Yunnan leadership has also reconfirmed Yunnan's commitment to international collaboration in the implementation of its policies, with the understanding that Yunnan would benefit from the knowledge and experience of international experts while standing ready to provide sites for and participate in projects designed with global applicability in mind.
When the Center initially conceived the Leadership Conference on Conservancy and Development, it was considered as “a matter of learning” — learning from each other with different concerns and commitment, of different professions and constituencies, and of different heritages and societies. The Yunnan Initiative, drafted as a result of the Conference, is a collective statement with an amalgam of recommendations, the outcome of exactly such a learning experience. The Initiative also endorses international collaboration and hopes to “serve as a point of reference” to the world. The Yunnan government's swift response to the Conference statement is a confirmation of the practicability of its recommendations and recognition of the wisdom of collaboration, both of which may in turn join to create a compass for conservancy and development on a worldwide basis.