UNEP-TONGJI Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development (IESD) Board Meeting 2015 was held in Beijing on 10 November, 2015.

Tongji Vice President and Dean of IESD, Prof. Wu Jiang and Prof. Li Fengting, Deputy Dean of IESD and Vice Dean of College of Environmental Science and Engineering briefed the Board of the work in 2015. This year, IESD made progress in sustainable development education and urban environment research and cooperation with the guidance of UNEP, Chinese relevant ministries, Shanghai Government and Tongji University, in order to realize the Board’s 2014 decisions to build IESD into a globally recognized think tank. The release of the outcomes of the China-UNEP-Africa Cooperation Programme share China’s experience with the world in response to China’s One Belt and One Road strategy and UNEP’s seven work priorities and South-South Cooperation. IESD also promote inter-disciplinary research on the platform of China Meteorological Administration Key Lab of Cities’ Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change in Shanghai and the Shanghai Key Lab of Chemicals Analysis, Risk Assessment and Management. As the secretariat of Global Universities Partnership on Environment for Sustainability, IESD disseminate the theory and best practices of sustainable development through flagship activities, such as the International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainability.

UNEP Executive Director and Honorary Chairman of the IESD Board, Mr. Achim Steiner attended the meeting. He said, IESD provides new modes of environment and sustainability education especially for developing countries, serves as a model of excellence for partnership between higher education institutes and UNEP by integrating sustainable development into academia, education, innovation and collaboration to promote the SDGs in China and the world.

The Chairman of Tongji Council, Prof. Yang Xianjin said, IESD shoulders the key responsibilities of sustainable development education and inter-disciplinary research in Tongji University. Tongji will fully support the IESD development and the two-track working approach to enhance the existing partnership with UNEP.

In June, UNEP and Tongji University established a joint steering committee as the working group, which proposed that IESD develop into a global think-tank with a two-track approach, namely sustainable development in higher education and urban environment research and cooperation in order to elevate the UNEP-TONGJI partnership.