World's major pharmaceutical and chemical enterprise Bayer AG
will contribute US$1 million to China's Tongji University in the
next five years to establish a chair for sustainable
development.
Bayer signed a memorandum of understanding with Tongji
University in Leverkusen. Germany Monday concerning the
establishment of the chair.
Under the document, Bayer will support this initiative with
funding and non-cash contributions totaling US$1 million for an
initial period of five years.
Tongji University attaches maximum priority to the subjects of
environmental protection and sustainable development, said Dr. Wang
Gang, President of Tongji University in Shanghai.
The cooperation enables both sides to offer international
students a first-class program of studies in this area, he
said.
At the same press conference, Bayer and the United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP) endorsed their collaboration in global
youth environmental activities.
Bayer and UNEP concluded a cooperation agreement in June 2004
with an initial duration of three years. Under the agreement, Bayer
will provide an annual funding of one million euros as well as
implement some individual projects with UNEP.
Only comprising the chemical industry into the overall global
environmental protection move could the great millennium goal of
the UN be realized, said Professor Klaus Topfer, the UNEP Executive
Director.
As the world's largest developing countries, China is now
confronted with the contradiction between rapid social development
and limited resources and worsening environment, said Wan.
Through cooperation with transnational enterprises such as
Bayer, Tongji hopes to pass the concept of sustainable development
to the Chinese, he said.
China has made some improvements in environmental protection as
the concept has become a common sense of the top leaders of the
government, said Dr. Topfer.
UNEP and Tongji University signed an agreement in May 2002 to
establish the UNEP Tongji Institute for the Environment and
Sustainable Development in Tongji.
In the past few years, the institute provided advanced training
courses on the environment and sustainable development for future
managers in the Asia Pacific region.
It will accept master students for a course of study
specializing in the environment and sustainable development this
year, the first one for UNEP to cooperate with a university on
matters on higher education ending with an academic title.
(Xinhua News Agency March 21, 2006)
