30 Oct. -1 Nov., Nairobi -- During the Global South-South Development Expo 2013 (GSSD Expo), Tongji University Delegation Led by Zhou Zuyi, the Chairman of Tongji Council, visited United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. On behalf of Tongji University, Zhou Zuyi, and UNEP signed Memorandum of Understanding on Green Economy (GE) Textbook and Piloting Project to promote the GE higher education in the world, and MoU with UN-Habitat to collaborate on sustainable architecture, urban planning and capacity building.
Prof. Zhou Zuyi commented in the bilateral meeting with UNEP Executive Director Mr. Achim Steiner, that the GE Textbook project aimed to share the GE theories and practices through the network of Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability (GUPES) and the Regional Offices of UNEP so as to enhance the public understanding and awareness towards sustainable production, consumption and green development in regions, states and the world.
Prof. Zhou said, ‘Green and sustainable development requires advanced education in universities, who shoulder vital responsibility to disseminate environmentally sustainable development concepts and technology.’
Mr. Achim Steiner ensured Tongji of UNEP’s great support for this project and said, ‘The younger generation’s role in Green Economy and sustainable development should be highly valued. The integration of GE into higher education will promote the realization of post-2015 Agenda and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. ’
The GE textbook will be compiled by experts from both home and abroad, and is scheduled to complete in the second half of 2015. Launched in 2011, GUPES consists of 370 universities in the world, with Prof. Wu Jiang, the Vice President of Tongji University as the Chairman.
Besides, Prof. Zhou Zuyi, on behalf of Tongji signed MoU with UN-Habitat Executive Director Dr. Joan Clos. Both sides agreed to optimize Tongji’s advantages in research and practice in architecture, urban planning and green habitat and make use of UN-Habitat as an international platform in the mutual collaboration.
During the mission to Africa, Tongji also visited the second phase design of African Union Conference Center, Addis Ababa University and Zanzibar State University on sustainable development education and the design of Chinese Embassy to Tanzania.
The Tongji delegation consists of Zhou Zuyi, the Chairman of Tongji Council, Ding Jiemin, Assistant-President of Tongji, President of Tongji Architectural Design (Group), Peng Zhenwei, Chairman of College of Architecture & Urban Planning Council, Li Fengting, Vice-Dean of UNEP-Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development and Li Zhenyu, Director of International Exchange & Cooperation office.
In the past decade, Tongji and UN agencies collaborated on multiple fields on South-South Cooperation, including the co-establishment of UNEP-Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development, UNEP-China-Africa project, and training programmes to leaders in developing countries.
The GSSD Expo is a UN system-wide global high-profile event for South-South Cooperation. It was launched in 2008, by the UN Office for South-South Cooperation. With the overaching themeBuilding Inclusive Green Economies: South-South Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication, the GSSD Expo 2013 demonstrated the collective response of the UN to relevant provisions of the Rio+20 Outcome and its capacity to facilitate South-South cooperation and an exchange of experiences on green economies. About 1,200 participants from the world attended the Expo 2013.
For more information:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2013-11/02/c_117977643.htm
http://www.unep.org/ssc/expo/
