On 25 January, the Director of UNEP's Regional Support Office, Mr. Munyaradzi Chenje visited Tongji University. The Secretary of the Party Committee of Tongji, Prof. Yang Xianjin met with Mr. Chenje. This meeting reviewed the UNEP-Tongji partnership and exchanged views on further cooperation through capacity building and technology transfer. The Vice Dean of UNEP-Tongji IESD, Prof. Li Fengting and Dr. Wang Xin attended the meeting.

Prof. Yang Xianjin said, UNEP and Tongji have been enjoying sound partnership, especially through the work of the jointly established UNEP-Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development, which has grown into an international platform for education, research and outreach. Tongji assures its continuous support to IESD’s development. As Shanghai is located at the joint point of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Tongji will play an important role through South-South Cooperation on the basis of its best disciplines including environment, civil engineering, urban planning and architecture, etc. The partnership also promotes the realization of Tongji’s vision to build a sustainability-oriented university.

Mr. Chenje appreciated the support of Tongji to UNEP, and this year UNEP Regional Support Office sees the direct support from Tongji through Prof. Li’s work as the Special Coordinator for South-South Cooperation. Environmental conservation and sustainable development through South-South Cooperation is among the priorities of UNEP. Tongji facilitates this process through technology transfer and capacity building projects. The Workshop for Greener Cities for African Mayors in this coming March will be a good example for SSC. UNEP would like to further enhance this partnership with Tongji in more fields.

The workshop for African mayors will be held by UNEP and UN-Habitat with Tongji during 16-21 March, 2015. The mayors and deputy mayors in charge of environmental protection, urban planning and construction will join this programme. Chinese and African experts will share the experience and best practices on sustainable cities, build capacity on urban sustainability and initiate cooperation between Chinese and African cities.