Hong Kong SAR, March 29, 2026 — The 2026 International Conference on Natural Resources and Planning (ICNRP 2026) was successfully held from March 26 to 29 at the University of Hong Kong. The conference was jointly organized by the International Association of Natural Resources (iAONR), the Urban Systems Institute of the University of Hong Kong, and the Faculty of Architecture (Departments of Urban Planning and Design and Geography), with support from the Global Designers Association (GDA) and the YUANYE AWARDS International Competition Organizing Committee. The event brought together global expertise and established a high-level platform for international academic exchange and collaboration.
The conference attracted approximately 600 experts, scholars, and industry professionals from more than 20 countries and regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, and Kazakhstan, as well as China and the Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions.
At the opening ceremony, Academician Honglie Sun, former Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Mr. Sommad Pholsena, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly of Laos, delivered video addresses, congratulating the conference and expressing expectations. Opening remarks were delivered by Professor Mohammad Qasim Jan, President of iAONR and Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Professor Peng Gong, Vice President of the University of Hong Kong, encouraging participants to build consensus and advance collaboration.
During the closing ceremony, Ms.Li Fan, derector of the Global Designers Association(GDA)Programme Officer of UN-Habitat, and Professor Pietro Elisei, President of the Global Designers Association(GDA), delivered speeches. They summarized the outcomes of the conference and looked ahead to future development directions.
Following the opening ceremony, two keynote sessions featured seven distinguished academicians and experts, including Professor Mohammad Qasim Jan, Professor Richard Church (Fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences), Professors Bojie Fu and Anthony G.O Yeh (Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences), Professor Renzhong Guo (Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering), Professor Abay Serikkhanov (Vice President of National Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan), and Professor Patrick Roberts (Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Germany).
Nearly 300 participants engaged in in-depth discussions across 21 parallel sessions, while two master architects held a high-level dialogue. Discussions focused on frontier topics including sustainable utilization of natural resources, future urban scenarios ,resilient cities ,urban regeneration industrial revitalization,cultural-tourism integration and rural revitalization,and public art and cultural cities, contributing valuable insights toward addressing global ecological challenges.
To showcase cutting-edge practices and academic innovation, the conference featured a thematic exhibition titled “Architecture · Resources · Future”. The exhibition presented exemplary projects and research achievements in architecture, urban planning, resource efficiency, and ecological conservation. Highlights included award-winning works from the YUANYE AWARDS International Competition and the International Natural Resources and Planning Excellence Awards(IABP). Hosted by GDA, the YUANYE AWARDS International Competition has reached its 17th edition and has grown into a highly influential international professional event with extensive coverage. Outstanding works from the competition have twice been invited for exhibition at the World Urban Forum of the United Nations. Works from the IABP Awards are being publicly exhibited for the first time.The School of Architecture at Tianjin University also curated a special exhibition reviewing the development of higher education and architectural education in China.
Concurrently, the International Natural Resources and Planning Excellence Awards(IABP) recognized outstanding built projects with strong demonstrative value. This year, 4 Excellence Awards, 23 Outstanding Awards, and 25 Nomination Awards were presented, aiming to promote high-quality practices and scalable models in resource planning and sustainable development.
Prior to the conference, the International Association of Natural Resources convened its Global Council Meeting. In addition, the inaugural council meetings of the Urban and Regional Planning Committee and the Environment Protection and Ecological Restoration Committee were successfully held.
The four-day conference featured rich and productive exchanges, with participants expressing strong appreciation for the outcomes. Attendees noted that the conference provides an important platform to further strengthen international cooperation in natural resources and planning, jointly address climate change, promote green and low-carbon urban development, and advance a harmonious future between humanity and nature.
