The Asia-Pacific Leadership programme aims to improve the all-round thinking and decision-making abilities of the young and emerging leaders in government organizations, NGOs, and private enterprises in the Asia-Pacific Region, direct them to take the balance between environment and sustainable development into account in decision making, and foster their insights so as to be able to coordinate factors of human, environment and sustainable development in dealing with complex practical problems.

During the following week, senior exports and professors in the field of Asia-Pacific regional environment who are from Tongji university as a core of Asia-Pacific Regional University Consortium(RCU), including The University of New South Wales, Australia, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand , Yale University and so on will make reports relating to their own research field for the participants about the current situation of environment, facing problems and how to address the challenges on environmental protection and they will explain the philosophy about Sustainable Development by using vivid and specific cases. This training course is also closely related to the Shanghai Expo. During the course, professors from College of Environmental Science and Engineering and College of Architecture and Urban Planning in Tongji University who have participated in the construction of Shanghai Expo will introduce the applications of the latest environmental protection technology in the Expo and the overall planning of the Shanghai Expo park as well as the subject about the renovation of the old buildings and other subjects. The participants will take a field trip to Shanghai Expo in order to experience the the green Expo deeply,.

The Asia-Pacific Leadership Programme has been held successfully in Tongji for six years. It has gained the support from United Nations Environment Programme and relevant departments of Asia-Pacific Region, representatives from enterprises, media, Non-governmental organizations and associations in this field. This course has contributed positive response in the field Asia-Pacific Regional environment and Sustainable Development internationally, especially in the Asia-Pacific Region. It is truly a high level seminar about Sustainable Development

IESD was established in May 2002. In September 2003, a seminar on Environment and Sustainable Development is held by UNEP-Tongji office in Beijing，a university union called the Asia-Pacific Regional University Consortium (RCU) was set up and the first Leadership Programme was decided to be held in July 2004 and thereafter held annually. The courses are taught in English by resource persons from the Asia-Pacific University Consortium，namely the Asian Institute of Technology, Griffith University, Nanyang Technological University, Tongji University, University of New South Wales, University of Wollongong, Yale University and United Nations University – Institute of Advanced Studies (a collaborating UN agency). The emphasis will be put on the combination of theory and practice. After the one-week course, UNEP and Tongji University will issue joint certificates.