On June 24th, the 5th Anniversary of Tsinghua-Tsinghua Initiative (GTI) Networking Meeting was successfully held offline in Geneva and online globally. Prof. Zhu Xufeng, Executive Dean of School of Public Policy and Management (SPPM) of Tsinghua University, Executive Director of Institute for Sustainable Development Goals of Tsinghua University (TUSDG); Wang Deyu, Director of Innovation Education Department of Tsinghua University iCenter Center; Xu Luping, Director of Open FIESTA of Tsinghua University; Mao Donghui, Executive Director of China Steering Committee of SDG Open Hack, and Thomas Maillart, Senior Lecturer of the School of Economics and Management of the University of Geneva participated in the event and gave speeches online. Thomas Maillart, Senior Lecturer, School of Economics and Management, University of Geneva, remarked in the event online. The meeting was moderated by François Grey, Director of GTI, and Yin Chengzhi, Associate Dean of Tsinghua SPPM, attended online.
At the meeting, Prof. Zhu Xufeng firstly elaborated on the key role of universities, especially Tsinghua University, in sustainable development, focusing on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and introduced the main content of the Tsinghua University Report on SDGs. He then introduced in details the key work and achievements of TUSDG in the past five years since its establishment. TUSDG is committed to conducting in-depth multidisciplinary cross-disciplinary research centered on the overall framework of SDGs, policy implementation, and specific goals, actively promoting exchanges and mutual understanding with UN agencies and international partners in the field of SDGs and providing training support for professional graduate degree programs. TUSDG also actively carries out various short-term training programs and strives to become a professional research institution and a high-end think tank in China with international academic and policy influence in the field of SDGs research. Over the past five years, TUSDG has successfully organized more than 220 academic activities, and has undertaken national projects such as the major project of national social science fund of China, including “Study on the Construction of the Evaluation System of the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda and its Realization Pathway”,“Study on Improving the Mechanism on Fully Leveraging the Advantages of the Two Motivations - Central and Local Governments", "Study on the Mechanism of Efficient Utilization of Natural Resources and Economic Security and High-Quality Development", and other national and international research projects. It promotes the implementation of relevant policies and the sharing of international experience through domestic and international scientific research projects.
Prof. Zhu Xufeng Introduces the Development of TUSDG
Prof. Zhu Xufeng also introduced the achievement of the Tsinghua - Geneva SDG Dual Master’s Degree Program (MPP-SDG). With the principle of "high-end positioning, Chinese perspective, and international cooperation and Tsinghua characteristics" and the orientation of "innovation, practice and cooperation", the Tsinghua SPPM works closely with the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Geneva to integrate each other's strengths. The program focuses on building a systematic and professional curriculum system related to sustainable development. It also considers internship practice and humanistic care, cultivates students' understanding of the community of a shared future for mankind, and is committed to cultivating senior interdisciplinary professionals engaged in sustainable development. Since the establishment of the program in 2018, it has enrolled 106 Chinese and foreign students from six continents worldwide, and the employment prospects of the graduates are broad.
Prof. Zhu Xufeng Introduces the Highlights of the MPP-SDG Program
François Grey, Director of GDI, introduced the development history of the GTI Program and expressed that the University of Geneva attaches great importance to all aspects of cooperation with Tsinghua University around the SDGs, including the joint establishment of a dual master's degree program, exchange programs, collaborative research, and co-organization of summer schools and open and innovative student activities, etc. He also introduced that the SDG Solution Space will focus on "providing sustainable development solutions, fostering social entrepreneurship, accelerating open innovation, and promoting public participation" as the next step.
François Grey, GDI Director, Introduces the Achievements of GTI program
During the meeting, Wang Deyu, Director of Innovation Education Department of Tsinghua University iCenter Center; Xu Luping, Director of Open FIESTA of Tsinghua University; Mao Donghui, Executive Director of China Steering Committee of SDG Open Hack, and Thomas Maillart, Senior Lecturer of the School of Economics and Management of the University of Geneva, introduced their own programs and the important results during the cooperation between the two universities respectively. In recent years, the two universities have gradually strengthened the in-depth of cooperation in organizing innovative activities for students, developing practical interdisciplinary courses, reforming teaching methods and upgrading teaching models. They strive to create a more diversified, innovative and up-to-date learning experience for young students, and work together to promote the development and innovation of higher education in the field of SDGs.
Group Photo with Guests
Group Photo with Guests and Students in the University of Geneva
Cooperation Background
In response to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and in line with the country's medium- and long-term development plan, Tsinghua University and the University of Geneva have formed a comprehensive strategic partnership on the SDGs to work together, promoting the development of SDGs. In January 2017, Tsinghua University and the University of Geneva signed a memorandum of understanding on comprehensive sustainable development cooperation under the joint witness of President Xi Jinping and Swiss Federal President Doris Leuthard, the "Tsinghua-Geneva Initiative" (GTI) was officially launched. Since then, the two universities have established a Center for Sustainable Development, cooperated in scientific research, joint training, summer courses, teacher and student exchanges, ultimately achieving numerous results.
