The opening ceremony of 2013 International StudentConference on Environment and Sustainability (ISCES 2013) was held on 5th June, World Environment Day at Tongji University. ISCES 2013 was  convened by the UNEP and Tongji University and organized by UNEP-Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development (IESD).

The topic of this year’s conference is “Food, Health and Sustainable Development, which is in response to the theme of this year’s World Environmental Day: Think, Eat and Save. The Conference  brought together around 400 students from 45 countries. Students were  divided into five subgroups, namely, food, health, ecosystem, green city and green consumption. They engaged in activities such as field trips and posters display so as to better understand and exchange views on the challenges and opportunities as well as practices and theories of sustainable development.

At the opening ceremony, Prof. PEI Gang, President of Tongji University, Dr. Monika MacDevette, Deputy Director of Early Warning and Assessment of the UNEP, Mr. Surendra Shrestha, Senior Advisor and Focal Point for SDGs, UNEP, Mr. LU Xiaochun, Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (STCSM) made welcome remarks. Mr. Mahesh Pradhan, Chief of Environmental Education and Training Unit of UNEP, provided an update on the 10th anniversary of the Asia-Pacific Leadership Programme on Environment for Sustainable Development (APLP). Prof. XU Jianmin, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Dr. YU Jun, General Director of the Division of Food Supervision, Department of Food Safety Supervision, China Food and Drug Administration and Dr. SONG Yonghui, Vice President of Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences gave the keynote speeches. A video of message of Mr. Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director on the occasion of the World Environment Day was also shared on this occasion, and to welcome the 2013 ISCES participants.

Meanwhile, Prof. WANG Guangtao, former Minister of Housing and Urban Rural Development of the PRC, Director of the Resources Conservation Committee of the 11th NPCand Chairperson of the Advisory Board of IESD, Prof. PEI Gang, President of Tongji University presented awards for the winners of 2012 “Green Future Scholarship” for Best Papers, 2012 “Green Seedling Fund” for Excellent Research Proposals and 2013 Klaus Toepfer Environmental Scholarship. In addition, a Greening University Toolkit produced under the auspices of UNEP was also launched during the opening ceremony.