On the morning of May 10th, Tongji vice president Chen Xiaolong attended the opening ceremony of Sustainable Development Training Session for Small Island Countries, which is jointly sponsored by Tongji and China Department of Commerce. The session is to integrate Tongji and UNEP’s experience and achievements in scientific research and environmental protection, and to explore way of sustainable development for developing countries with 23 students. Attendants include Li Yang, official from Department of Commerce.
Small island developing countries is characterized by low altitude, few population, lack of resources, isolation from mainland and mainstream culture, vulnerable to natural disasters, simple economic structure, and heavily depending on international trade. Due to their specific natural, social and economic conditions, those countries form a special problem for sustainable development. During the tsunami in December 2004, those countries were greatly harmed. During the ‘International Conference of Sustainable Development for Small Island Countries ’ held on January 10thto 14th2005, U.N. called on international society to provide support to these countries, helping them realize sustainable development.
