The international degree program of environmental management and sustainable development is held in the hall of Mingjing building on October 18, 2019. Mr. Liu Jianxiong, Chairman of the Council, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, and Mr. Ha Yu, Director of Department of Project Management, Academy for International Business Officials, Ministry of Commerce, People’s Republic of China gave welcome speeches and sent their best wishes to the international students on a joyful and rewarding stay in Shanghai. Mentor Representative, Prof. Lin Sijie, 2019 student representative Aaron Bizimana (from Burundi) delivered speeches and expressed expectations the teachers and students place on a bright future of environment and put forward their own vision and expectations towards learning and living life of this new semester. Ms. Liu Beimin, Director of Department of Foreign Economic Cooperation, Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, Prof. Wang Ying, Director of Environmental Management and Planning Institute, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Deputy Dean of UN Environment-Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development (IESD), and mentors of the new students attended the opening ceremony.

Since the department of commerce launched the degree program in 2015, 102 government officials from 40 developing countries have participated in the international degree program on environmental management and sustainable development of Tongji University. In 2019, the program enrolled 61 students, including 10 Chinese students and 51 international students. Those students from 30 countries are strictly selected by the governments. The degree program currently consists of two majors, environmental management and sustainable development and environmental engineering, with students from Asia, Africa, South America and North America and Europe. The institute has established an advanced international education model to train high-level technical talents for One Belt And One Road countries in the field of environment and sustainable development, as well as inter-disciplinary technical management talents required by the government and enterprises.

At the opening ceremony, new students have performed the chorus Love Each Other Dearly, and also celebrated the birthday of the students who was born in October together. The students were embraced by the warm environment at the beginning of the semester.