From March 22 to 28, Prof. Zhou Jialun, chairman of the University Council, and the counterparts were invited to visit Brazil by Ms. Anna Tibaijuka, UN Under-Secretary-General, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, and took part in the 5th Urban Forum held by UN-HABITAT and Habitat Partner Universities (HPU) Roundtable Meeting in Rio de Janeiro.
In the meeting, Prof. Zhou Jialun and the counterparts made a briefing on the efforts and contributions Tongji made for human habitat improvement in the fields of education, science and knowledge management, etc, and participated in the discussion of how to improve the structure and guideline of partner universities and the working direction.
After the meeting, Prof. Zhou had an in-depth talk with Mrs. Inga Bjork-Klevby, Deputy Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, and expressed strong wish to join in the partner university network. Mrs. Inga appreciated the contributions Tongji made for improving human habitat, building low-carbon city, educating city leaders, etc, and welcomed Tongji to join in the partner university network. All the UN -HABITAT officers believed that Tongji would become the “Platinum Partner University” because of its outstanding performance in the fields of scholarship program, young leader education, etc. Further more, Prof. Zhou talked with Mrs. Inga about Opening Ceremony of African Young Environmental Leader Seminar which would be held in Tongji In April, awarding Deputy Secretary-General Anna Honorary Doctor of Tongji University, etc.
In Brazil, Prof. Zhou and the counterparts visited Federal University of Rio Janeiro and University of San Paulo, and exchanged ideas about Sino-Brazilian education cooperation perspective in the future, expressed wishes for close cooperation in the fields of teachers or student exchange program, joint research program, international conference, etc.
