On the afternoon of November 30, Mr. Xia Kunbao was conferred the honorable position of Visiting Professor of Tongji University during a ceremony in the Mingjing Building.  Hosted by Professor Li Fengting, the Assistant Dean of the UNEP-Tongji IESD, numerous faculty and students joined to celebrate the occasion.  While awarding the appointment letter to Professor Xia, Professor Li commended Professor Xia’s contribution to development of the IESD program, and to his experience as a leader on global environmental issues.
Professor Xia Kunbao has worked in the field of environmental diplomacy since 1985. He served as Director, and Director General, of China’s National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), between 1985 and 1996.  He was in the charge of international environmental cooperation. From October 1996 to May 1999, Professor Xia was posted in Nairobi as China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and acted as Vice Chairman on the Committee of Permanent Representatives of UNEP. He also served with UNEP as a senior staff member from May 1999 and July 2004. The entire IESD community congratulates and thanks Professor Xia for his continued commitment to Tongji University and to the improvement of the global environment.