The Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Training Course on Sustainable Development successfully concluded on May 24th.

The course was jointly organized by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and Tongji University, opening on May 10th, 2006. A total of 24 participants from 20 small island countries came into Tongji University, learning and exploring a better way that developing countries could achieve sustainable development.

In a short time of about ten days, the participants explored the sustainable development problems of developing countries, learned the latest research and practice achievements of Chinese sustainable development, for example, the sustainable development problem of Shanghai, the renovation of Suzhou River and the management of solid waste, etc. In addition, the participants investigated environments of Hangzhou, Angi and Xitang in Zhejiang Province, which gave the participants the further understanding of Sustainable Development theory and expanded the application of the theory to practice.

Although the participants came from different countries, all of them are active participants and practicers when it refers to sustainable development. They cherished the common dream, crossed thousands of miles and came into the beautiful Pearl of the Orient, Shanghai. Perhaps it is only a minority of people, who are provident, that have been promoting and spreading the concept of sustainable development throughout the world. However, when each of us contributes a little to sustainable development, sustainable development will be advanced a lot.