Jan 17, 2024
The 47th UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV International Postgraduate Course Kicks Off at TUD: Empowering Environmental Leaders for a Sustainable Future
The 21 expert participants of the 47th UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV International Postgraduate Course on Environmental Management for Developing Countries and other participants of the festive opening ceremony on January 12, 2024
The 21 expert participants of the 47th UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV International Postgraduate Course on Environmental Management for Developing Countries have joined the Centre for International Postgraduate Studies of Environmental Management (CIPSEM) at TUD Dresden University of Technology to begin a six-month adventure of learning about critical sustainability and environmental management issues.
Prof. Dr. Uta Berger, Scientific Director of CIPSEM, shares how the course program has provided an engaging learning experience for 47 years by inputs from renowned facilitators and the exchange with facilitators and fellow participants.
The course will follow an integrated and interdisciplinary approach in line with the SDGs and the Paris Agreement, covering several topics such as conservation and restoration ecology, water and atmosphere, soil and land resources, sustainable urban and regional development, sustainable waste management, circular economy, renewable energy, energy efficiency, climate change, and natural resource governance. An overarching science-policy interface frames all disciplines.
Zamira Naimanbaeva (Climate Finance Centre of the Kyrgyz Republic) and Joseph Kwasi Afrifa (Ghana Wildlife Society) share personal expectations and insights as spokespeople of the EM47.
In addition, participants will receive training in basic cross-sectoral skills such as policy advice, presentation skills, project planning and management that can be applied in their local contexts, communication across disciplines and cultures, participatory governance practices, and understanding geospatial information. As the participants are already experts and leaders in public governance and administration at the national, regional, and local levels, with overall competence in environmental matters, the new knowledge gained will contribute to individual and institutional capacity building in their home countries.
Prof. Dr. Ronald Tetzlaff speaks about the possibilities at TUD Dresden University of Technology and encourages participants to collaborate, also in the future.
On January 12, during the festive opening ceremony, CTIO Prof. Dr. Tetzlaff and CIPSEM’s Scientific Director Prof. Dr. Uta Berger encouraged participants to make the most out of their time at TUD Dresden University of Technology and to forge connections for continuing collaboration in this Decade of Action to deliver the Global Goals. Isabel Bunce, as a representative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), stated how well the course fits with current key issues being addressed by the BMUV at the national and international levels and also expressed the desire of BMUV for future collaboration.
Alumnus Vaibhav Aggarwal from India shares insights from his experience in the previous year to support the current group in navigating their own learning journey.
Furthermore, Zamira Naimanbaeva (Kyrgyz Republic) and Joseph Kwasi Afrifa (Ghana) shared personal expectations and insights as spokespeople of the EM47. In addition, the alumnus Vaibhav Aggarwal from India shared insights and advice, framed by a festive atmosphere through baroque music presented by Uta-Maria Lempert (baroque violin) and Katrin Meingast (baroque cello).
The cohort of EM47 participants is looking forward to creating waves of positive environmental change and putting the Sustainable Development Goals into action!
The training is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection through the German Environment Agency as a contribution to the United Nations Environment Programme and is supported by UNESCO.
CIPSEM is grateful to the facilitators of this course: https://tud.link/8jqi
A round of icebreaker questions prepares the ground for intense exchange after the ceremony.