Recently, the Managing Emerging Contaminants: Research and Action (MECRA) initiative, led by the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development (IESD) jointly established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Tongji University, has been selected as one of the first 25 global projects certified under the United Nations International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development 2024-2033 (IDSSD). The results were officially announced on May 7 at the 10th UN Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology, and Innovation for Sustainable Development Goals, marking a pivotal milestone for China in deepening global environmental technology innovation cooperation and advancing the governance of emerging contaminants and sustainable development.

In the first round of applications for the UN Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (2024–2033) (abbreviated as the Decade of Science, IDSSD), only 25 programs worldwide received official endorsement from UNESCO. The MECRA program, led by Professor Wang Ying of Tongji University, successfully secured a place among these elite initiatives. This recognition underscores the program's strategic importance in addressing pressing global environmental challenges.

As a ten-year international scientific initiative under the IDSSD framework, the MECRA program will consolidate research capabilities across sustainability science to form interdisciplinary international teams. It will focus on mitigating the multifaceted threats posed by emerging contaminants—including antibiotics, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and microplastics—to global ecosystems and sustainable development. Leveraging international research partnerships, scientific literacy training, and deep integration of industry, academia, and research, the program aims to drive systemic technological innovation and elevate educational standards in the monitoring, early warning, governance, and risk prevention of emerging contaminants worldwide.

Led by IESD, the MECRA program will establish a long-term collaborative and regulatory mechanism involving governments, enterprises, academia, and civil society. Key deliverables include a detailed implementation blueprint, comprehensive analytical reports on emerging contaminants in aquatic environments, and a flagship global platform for knowledge exchange and capacity-building. By fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration in screening, monitoring, early warning, and prevention systems for aquatic contaminants, the program will provide data-driven, science-based solutions to the United Nations, governments, stakeholders, and the scientific community.