China's portion of the United Nations Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development plan was announced at the 2005 China
Sustainable Development Forum held at Shanghai's Tongji
University over the weekend.
Initiated by the United Nations Education, Science and Culture
Organization (UNESCO), the worldwide plan calls for participating
countries to carry out a series of educational events related to
global sustainable development from 2005 to 2014.
Key topics for China, as well as other countries in the Asia
Pacific Region, include environment and natural resource
protection, diversity of species, urbanization, and public health
problems such as AIDS.
Participating countries are required to implement the plan by
establishing an information platform or website, conducting
academic research on environment problems, and holding public
education activities in schools, companies and communities.
For China's part, the plan aims to educate all Chinese on the
importance of sustainable development within a 10-year period.
People will be introduced to what it means to live in a society
that values sustainable development.
UNESCO will work out a monitoring and evaluation system to check
each country's implementation of the plan on a regular basis over
the next decade.
"It is a long-term strategy that requires the joint efforts of
all parts of society," Surendra Shrestha, Asia Pacific office
director of the UN environment program, said at the forum.
Tongji University said that it would launch the country's first
master's program on sustainable development this year.
Twenty students, half from China and half from other parts of
the region, will be recruited to conduct research and studies on
environmental protection before starting work appointments with
regional UN offices.
(eastday.com September 12, 2005)