International Cooperation on Education for Sustainable Development

SUSTAINABLE development is an issue of common concern throughout the world today. Countries attending the UN Summit in September 2015 reached a consensus on the new global framework for development – that of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In contrast to the Millennium Development Goals adopted in 2000, the SDGs signify that countries across the globe are aware of the strong impact environmental issues will have on humankind in future.

China explicitly put forward the idea of “ecological progress” for the 13th Five-Year Plan period that began this year. On the global scale, the Chinese government took the lead in ratifying the Paris Agreement reached at the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference. However, as a developing country China is still challenged by outdated notions of development and practices.

Professor Wu Jiang is a committed advocator of sustainable development.

“Sustainable development is for our future generations. Unless students and the public comprehend just how imperative it is, the concept is nothing more than empty talk,” Executive Vice President of Tongji University Wu Jiang said during an interview with China Today. “Education is the key to sustainable development.”

A respected expert in architectural heritage protection and utilization, Professor Wu Jiang has been involved in education for sustainable development for more than 30 years. He has witnessed the concept’s penetration into China’s education circles, especially higher education. In 2012, he initiated the founding of the Global Universities Partnership on Environment for Sustainability (GUPES). This was a milestone in his career as an education administrator and advocator of sustainable development education.