November 19, 2024 — Quoted from the Climate Change Administration, Ministry of Environment
Aligning with global trends in green government development, the Executive Yuan announced the establishment of the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) Alliance, encompassing the Executive Yuan, central ministries, and local governments, with the aim of promoting sustainability in collaboration with the private sector.
Recognizing the importance of capacity building in sustainability governance, the Ministry of Environment signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with National Tsing Hua University today (November 19, 2024) to jointly promote professional sustainability training programs. The MOU was signed by Minister Pang Chi-ming of the Ministry of Environment and President Kao Wei-yuan of National Tsing Hua University.
This partnership marks a significant step toward integrating higher education institutions into national sustainability capacity-building efforts and serves as a model for cultivating globally minded sustainability professionals in Taiwan.
Minister of Environment Pang Chi-ming stated in his remarks that the signing of this MOU with National Tsing Hua University holds significant meaning, coinciding with the Ministry’s current roles as the executive secretariat of the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) Alliance and the National Climate Change Response Committee, as well as the upcoming establishment of an inter-ministerial task force for international cooperation under the Paris Agreement.
Minister Pang expressed his appreciation to National Tsing Hua University for its longstanding professional support to the Ministry in areas such as environmental law and international climate conventions. He emphasized that this MOU will deepen and expand future collaboration, leveraging NTHU’s top-tier faculty, students, and educational resources to strengthen sustainability training capacity.
He also noted that the collaboration could be linked with the Ministry of Education’s “Billion-Dollar Youth Global Dream Program”, creating new opportunities for young students to participate in international climate initiatives.
National Tsing Hua University President Kao Wei-yuan expressed that it is a great honor to collaborate with the Ministry of Environment, bringing together the university’s expertise in international sustainability engagement, policy development, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Through the Professional Sustainability Training Program and cooperation with government officials responsible for sustainability affairs across various ministries, the university aims to extend sustainability knowledge and practices to all sectors of society, becoming a driving force in Taiwan’s journey toward sustainability.
President Kao also highlighted that NTHU recently established the College of Sustainability, the first in Taiwan’s higher education system to integrate technology, management, and regulatory studies across research and teaching. He affirmed that the university will fully support the Ministry of Environment’s leadership in advancing sustainability education and professional training programs.
Professor Fan Chien-te, Associate Dean of the College of Sustainability at National Tsing Hua University and lead planner of the Ministry of Environment’s Professional Sustainability Training Program, delivered his remarks via video from Azerbaijan, where he was attending COP29.
Professor Fan explained that the program will be divided into two main categories. The first category, Professional Sustainability Training, will include short-term training courses, in-service master’s credit programs, in-service master’s degree programs, and a lifelong learning passport system.
The second category will focus on the Global Carbon Pricing and Climate Diplomacy Framework, drawing inspiration from European Union experiences, and will feature specialized workshops, international cooperation training programs, and hands-on participation modules.
Regarding instructors, the initial phase of the program will primarily feature professors from NTHU’s College of Sustainability, supplemented by other faculty members and industry experts from both within and outside the university.
The Ministry of Environment stated that its collaboration with National Tsing Hua University in promoting the Professional Sustainability Training Program focuses on several key areas: supporting the university in launching education, training, activities, courses, and projects related to sustainability; providing curriculum resources in sustainability-related fields for participation by officials from the Ministry, other government agencies, and Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs); and facilitating mutual exchange in course planning, while offering qualified instructors with strong academic backgrounds and practical sustainability experience.
Through this partnership, both parties aim to actively respond to global climate change, establish a collaborative framework, and cultivate cross-generational talent for sustainable management and development.
It is also worth noting that after the MOU signing press conference, Minister Pang Chi-ming specially invited President Kao Wei-yuan and Senior Vice President Tai Nien-hua of National Tsing Hua University to visit the COP29 Situation Room established by the Ministry of Environment.
There, Director Yen Wan-ting of the Taiwan Research Institute—who had just returned from attending the first week of the COP29 conference—provided a briefing to share the latest developments and key observations from the event.
In line with the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), yesterday (November 18) focused on “Human Development / Children and Youth / Health / Education Day.”
Key achievements included the establishment of the Baku Transparency Platform, the adoption of the “Baku Principles on Human Development”—the first comprehensive Human Day declaration—and the formation of a Climate and Health Sustainability Alliance composed of five COP presidencies.
Additionally, the conference hosted a series of events titled “Preparing Human Capital for a Green Future,” emphasizing that through climate education and capacity building, the younger generation can actively contribute to and lead the transition toward a sustainable future.
Source: Ministry of Environment — News Section https://reurl.cc/z5L410