After the 2004 December tsunami, the Chinese Government responded to the call by the United Nations for providing support to small island developing states. IESD was entrusted by the Ministry of Commerce of China, and it organized in May 2006 the International Program on Sustainable Development for Developing Small Island States. 24 participants came from 20 such small island states, from the Oceania, Indian, Atlantic and Caribbean Regions.

The presentations included: Analysis of the situation for the SIDS and the world; Economics of Sustainable Development; Disaster Reduction: Early Warning and Emergency Response in Small Island Developing States; Environmental Diplomacy; Sustainable Development and Marine Resources; Introduction on 2010 Expo; Tourist Economic Management; and Drinking Water Processing Treatment. Field strips and on-site learning were made to Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center, Hangzhou City, the capital of Zhejiang Province, and Anji, the first state acknowledged eco-county, and Xitang, an ancient southern town.