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IESD mourns loss of Klaus Töpfer
Published：13/06/2024
IESD joins family and friends in mourning the loss of Dr. Klaus Töpfer.
Dr. Klaus Töpfer was the former United Nations Under-Secretary-General, former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, former German Minister for the Environment, Honorary Professor of Tongji University. The faculty and students express their deep condolences and highest respect. Over the years, Dr. Töpfer established an enduring relationship with Tongji University and made outstanding contributions to promoting environmental protection and sustainable development in China.
Dr. Töpfer was always actively promoting sustainable development education in China. Through his direct efforts as the then UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNEP, Tongji University and UNEP signed an agreement on May 9, 2002, to jointly establish the UNEP-Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development (IESD), dedicated to enhancing global environmental and sustainable development research and talent cultivation.
Over the past 22 years, Dr. Töpfer continuously provided guidance and support to the development of IESD. In May 2006, he was appointed as the Chief Professor of Environment and Sustainable Development at Tongji University, working at the university for a period each year to teach undergraduate and graduate courses. Notably, to promote environmental education in China, he donated 1 million RMB to establish the Töpfer Environmental Scholarship, encouraging the younger generation to use their expertise to address increasingly prominent environmental issues.
With Dr. Töpfer’s support, IESD has played a crucial role in leading sustainable development in universities, promoting sustainable development education, and strengthening South-South cooperation. As the joint secretariat of the United Nations Youth and Education Alliance, the institute further promoted the dissemination of sustainable development in global higher education system.
Dr. Töpfer always had a strong commitment to sustainable development in China. On September 29, 2004, he accepted the invitation of the Shanghai Municipal Government to serve as an Advisor on Environmental Protection and Construction for Shanghai, introducing advancing water treatment technologies, water resource management, and new environmental management technologies to China. He provided advice and suggestions to the preparation of the Shanghai World Expo 2010, and the development of Shanghai city as well as Chongming Eco-Island. He actively promoted the progress of environmental protection and sustainable development of China to the international community.
For his significant contributions, Dr. Töpfer was awarded the China Government Friendship Award in 2006, the Shanghai Magnolia Award in 2008, the Honorary Citizenship of Shanghai in 2009, and the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award in 2010. He deeply linke his environmental work with China, and said China's determination to protect the environment is admirable.
In 2019, Dr. Töpfer was awarded the highest government award, the State Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia of Germany, for his outstanding achievements in environmental protection.
Deeply Mourns
The faculty and students of IESD express that they will always remember Dr. Topfer's outstanding contributions to the development of Tongji University's environmental and sustainable development disciplines and to China's environmental and sustainable development cause, and strive to achieve greater accomplishments, continuing to contribute greater strength to global sustainable development education and scientific and technological innovation.