With joint efforts of UNEP and Tongji University, the 2013 Asia-Pacific Leadership Programme on Environment for Sustainable Development (APLP) under the theme of ‘Health and Sustainable’ was successfully convened on 3rd June at the UNEP-Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development (IESD).  22 participants from 11 countries participated in the 2013 APLP.

This year marked the 10th anniversary of APLP. So far, more than 300 emerging leaders from 42 countries and organizations have benefited from this annual leadership programme at IESD, of which more than 30 countries are from the Asia-Pacific. The leadership programme has also attracted participants from North America, Africa, Europe, who are keen to learn more about the dynamic Asia Pacific region..

Prof. WU Jiang, Vice President of Tongji University delivered the welcome remarks during the Opening Ceremony, and appreciated the continuous support from the Asia-Pacific Regional University Consortium in the design and delivery of the Leadership Programme over the past 10 years. Mr. Mahesh Pradhan, Chief of Environmental Education and Training Unit (ETTU) of UNEP, as well as Ms. Nila Puspita, the Program Coordinator from HSF, welcomed the participants and resource persons and highlighted the achievements and impacts of the APLP.   Prof. LI Fengting, Vice Dean of IESD gave an overview of this year’s programme and highlighted Tongji’s strong support and impressive efforts, as a tangible contribution to the ongoing UN Decade of Education for  Sustainable Development (UN-DESD).

Dr. Monika MacDevette, Deputy Director of UNEP’s Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA) and Mr. Surendra Shrestha, UNEP’s Senior Advisor and Focal Point of SDGs gave two plenary presentations on “Keeping the Environment Situation under Review” and “Health and the Environment”, which provided an excellent overview for the Leadership Programme.

During the rest of the week, participants had an opportunity to interact with UN and government officials, senior experts and professors in the field of environment and sustainable development on the three dimensions of the programme:  human, environment, society and economy, thereby addressing the need for effective sustainability leaders in Asia and the Pacific.